Red Cross welcomes new agreed Treaty that bans cluster munitions

Mr. John Roycroft, Secretary General Irish Red Cross said that, thanks to the humanitarian commitment by all the delegates and the hard work of the Irish Government, which hosted the conference, a new, historic treaty that bans the use of cluster munitions has been agreed this evening and will be adopted on Friday.

"This positive commitment by all to reach agreement has resulted in a worthwhile treaty that will save millions of lives in the future."

The Treaty:

• Prohibits the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of inaccurate and unreliable cluster munitions
• Provides for victim assistance, clearance of cluster munitions and activities to minimize their impact on the civilian population.
• Requires the elimination of existing stocks of inaccurate and unreliable cluster munitions

Mr. Roycroft said that the Irish Red Cross praises the delegates for including in the treaty a commitment to assist those who have been injured and maimed by cluster bombs and to clear away those bombs which are contaminating hundreds of thousands of acres of land through the world.

"The international treaty brings to an end to nearly six decades of human suffering and misery caused by the indiscriminate and inaccurate use of cluster bombs. 110 governments and 200 civil society organisations from around the world that attended the conference must be congratulated for their hard work," he said.

The international conference in Dublin represents the largest international diplomatic conference held by an Irish Government in decades.