• Listen to this segment

GUEST: Lora Lumpe, Coordinator of the US Campaign to Ban Cluster Bombs

Representatives from more than a 100 countries gathered yesterday in Dublin, Ireland seeking a global treaty ban on cluster bombs. Negotiations on the draft treaty include a ban on the manufacturing, sale, use, and stockpiling of cluster munitions. Discussions between delegates are also centering on the proper clearance of undetonated “bomblets,” providing assistance to victims, and establishing timelines for the destruction of existing weapons. The international conference, which is taking place outside of the bounds of the United Nations, expects to finalize the details of its treaty before the end of the month for a possible December 2008 signing ceremony in Norway. The United States, China and Russia, who are the three biggest producers of cluster munitions, have not attended the negotiations. In the past 10 years, the US has used cluster bombs in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.

For more information, visit www.uscbl.org, www.banclusterbombs.org.