What sounds like a triumph by over half the world’s governments is now being undermined by attempts to pass a new international law which permits the use of such inhumane and callous weapons. The pressure for this law comes just before the conference for the Convention on Conventional Weapons in Geneva during which delegates will decide their position on the law. The pressure for such a change is coming from America, China and Russia who are the main exporters of such weapons. The “watered-down” version of the law, proposed by Washington, would see the re-emergence of cluster bombs in times of conflict, resulting in continued endangerment of the innocent people who live nearby – all in the name of better trade and bigger profits.
Countries such as Mexico, Norway and Austria are making a stand against this reckless decision. It remains to be seen whether countries such as France, Germany and the UK will allow themselves to be bullied into going against the views of the public and the basic humanitarian values considered so fundamental to our society. The call for compromise on a weapon designed to cause maximum harm and offers no suggestion of restraint during times of conflict is absurd. The indiscriminate nature of cluster bombs which is responsible for inflicting a cruel death to many and a slow suffering to many more was one of the main reasons why 22 out of 28 NATO allies signed up to the agreement to ban their use, now they must ask themselves – what’s changed?
