Unexploded bomb law comes into force
Countries will be required to remove land mines and other unexploded devices from post-conflict areas
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Sunday, 12, Nov 2006 11:56
A new international law comes into force today which will require countries to clear unexploded bombs and mines from post-conflict areas.
Under a protocol agreed by signatories to the 1980 Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) in November 2003, states will be responsible for clearing all explosive remnants of war from territory under their control.
Countries that leave behind explosive remnants will be required to assist in the clearance of weapons such as landmines and cluster bombs in post-conflict zones which are not under their control, while the treaty also places a responsibility on states to provide warnings and risk education to civilians in order to reduce the number of people who are injured by unexploded devices after wars end.
Commenting on the new measures, Steve Goose, director of the arms division of pressure group Human Rights Watch, warned that the success of the law would depend upon states implementing it forcefully.
"Because the text is so weak, the success of the protocol will depend on aggressive and thorough implementation by governments," said Mr Goose.
Meanwhile, aid agencies and human rights groups are calling for the current treaty on the use of conventional weapons to be extended to include a ban on cluster bombs, as diplomats meet in Geneva to review the agreement.
Countries are under increasing pressure to include such a ban as part of the treaty, with the use of the controversial weapons recently brought back into the spotlight following their deployment during the recent conflict between Israel and militant group Hizbullah in Lebanon.
It is estimated that up to one million unexploded cluster bombs will continue to pose a threat to civilians in the country for years to come.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is now proposing that countries should adopt a treaty banning the use of unreliable cluster munitions and their deployment in all populated areas.
United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan added his support for a ban on the use of cluster munitions earlier this week.
In a statement issued following the beginning of the Geneva deliberations, Mr Annan urged countries to make use of the existing CCW treaty to "reduce and ultimately eliminate the horrendous humanitarian and development impact of these weapons".
However, the United States, along with China and Russia, is reluctant to consider a ban on the use of cluster bombs.
"Our military and the military of many other countries believe they need these munitions," said Ronald Bettauer, head of the US delegation to the weapons review conference in Geneva.
"They actually feel the cluster munitions in some situations will be more humane than blanketing the area with high explosives," he added.