Belarus not joined UN Convention on Cluster Munitions

• 2.08.2010, 9:12

The UN Convention on Cluster Munitions came in force on August 1.

It was signed in Dublin on May 30, 2008 and opened for joining in Oslo in December of the same year.

107 countries are Participants of the Convention, and 37 have ratified it. According to the document, every signatory country is obliged "never under any circumstances” to use cluster munitions; develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer to anyone, directly or indirectly, cluster munitions.

Belarus has not joined the Convention still, BelaPAN informs.

Such a position of the country is explained by two issues, said a representative of the international campaign for cluster bomb ban, SKAF Centre director, a member of the Public Advisory board under the Presidential Administration of Belarus Yury Zahumennau.

Firstly, he said that the reason is national security considerations. Secondly, the country has another priority task at the moment: to destroy 3.5 million arsenals of anti-personnel mines of PFM-1 series under the Ottawa Treaty (the Mine Ban Treaty).

Since 2004 Belarus cannot finish this task. Following the results of the two tenders, the European Commission failed to decide on the performer of the work for which 4 million Euro are to be allocated. Belarusian stockpile of PFM-1 series ammunition was to be finished in 2008.