Cluster Munitions

My honourable friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Kim Howells) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. I would like to set out our policy on cluster munitions and explain how we successfully promoted that policy at the recent review conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in Geneva. We fully share widespread concerns about the humanitarian impact of these weapons. Our policy is designed to address these concerns. Nevertheless, compelling and legitimate conditions may occur when our Armed Forces need to use these weapons. If so, we do so in strict accordance with international humanitarian law. We continue to urge other countries to do the same. At the review conference, the UK led an initiative to address the humanitarian impact of these weapons on the basis of consensus, including all major producers and users. We believe that such an inclusive approach offers the best way forward to reduce the humanitarian impact of these weapons. The UK initiative was also consistent with Kofi Annan's call at the conference for action within the existing (CCW) framework. Prior to the conference we announced our plan to withdraw from service by the middle of the next decade our so-called ““dumb”” cluster munitions and called on other countries to do the same. (Our understanding of a ““dumb”” cluster munition is one that has numerous sub-munitions, each of which has an explosive content. Additionally, the sub-munitions either do not have a target discrimination capability or they do not have a self-destruct, self-neutralisation or self-deactivation capability). I am pleased to report that the UK's efforts at the review conference were rewarded. It was agreed by consensus to hold urgent expert-level discussions on the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions. This is an essential preliminary step before launching any negotiations on legally binding instruments to address the use of cluster munitions—not least because there has yet to be an internationally agreed definition of what constitutes a cluster munition, let alone those that ““pose serious humanitarian hazards””, for which Norway and some other countries have demanded an immediate ban. The CCW experts meeting will consider the adequacy of existing international humanitarian law, whether it is being implemented diligently, and factors affecting the reliability of cluster munitions. They will report back to the next CCW meeting of states parties in 12 months. In the coming year the UK will play an active role in the discussions, pushing for effective outcomes. We will consider carefully the results of these expert discussions before deciding whether, and if so how, to develop our policy on cluster munitions.