GOVERNMENT MUST BAN ALL CLUSTER MUNITIONS
March 20, 2007 3:46 PM
Commenting on Des Browne's announcement that the Government is to ban the use of 'dumb', rocket and air delivered cluster munitions by the British armed forces, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey MP said:
"This is a positive step and one that the Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for. However, we still need to go further and will keep putting pressure on the Government to go further.
"The Defence Secretary has only made reference to banning 'dumb' rocket and air delivered cluster munitions and will still maintain so-called 'smart' artillery fired cluster bombs. This is a dubious distinction and one that is grossly misleading.
"All cluster munitions are indiscriminate and there are serious concerns that even so called 'smart' munitions have a significant failure rate, making them a dangerous remnant of conflict and posing a serious threat.
"If the Government is to fulfil its commitments set out at the Oslo Conference in February to prohibit 'cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm' by 2008 then it must ban all cluster munitions, without distinction."
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