Banning of Cluster Bombs

[sp1214]

How would those countries who do not support the banning of cluster bombs feel if they were dropped closer to home?
PM Brown should be applauded for taking a stance. What is Cameron's view?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7423714.stm

[Oneeyedvic]

And while the UK government has shown a commitment to the process, it is strongly opposed to an outright ban.

Instead, the government has stated it wants an exemption for the newest generation of cluster munitions.

In a statement to Parliament in March 2007, Defence Secretary Des Browne said: "The types of cluster munitions we intend to retain are legitimate weapons with significant military value which, as a result of mitigating features, is not outweighed by humanitarian factors."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7407564.stm

[youngmafbog]

Killing is killing so what exactly is your point?

[Gromit]

Killing is killing, but cluster bombs are more of a threat in innocent civilians because they are an indiscriminate and imprecise weapon.

In addition, a large number of bombs fail to explode and pose a further danger to anyone in the area. For example, American unexploded cluster bombs are still killing people in Vietnam, possibly up to 300 a year.

[youngmafbog]

So do Land mines and dont get me started on Nuclear - so still I ask what is your point. Either ban the lot - although what despot cares or just accept the consequence.

Of course in the UK knives also kill many innicent lives. Dont see noo labout or tht liberal 'elete' doing much about that apart from a very gentle tap on the wrist.

[RevFunk]

Who cares?

I suppose if a cluster bomb is banned people wouldn't use them for fear of getting in trouble.

[4GS]

Cluster bombs are intended to deny the use of an area to the enemy. They have a detrimental effect to the enemies morale thus keeping him out of an area for a given period of time. They are not manufactured to kill innocent civilians, that's an unfortunate by product of warfare. No matter how many safeguards are put in place there will always be innocent casualties. It's been like that since the dawn of warfare and it will be there when the human race eventually kills itself off.

[Gromit]

Israel dropped a million bomb(lets) on Lebanon in its recent fight. Lebanon is three quarters the size of Connecticut.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/761781.htm l

The many civilian deaths were not an "unfortunate by product of warfare" as towns and villages were specifically targeted by the Israelis, in violation of an agreement with the US.

And where does the RAF buy its stash of cluster bombs? ... Israel of course.

[sp1214]

I see the US are setting up a squad to remove unexploded cluster bomblets. The bad publicity must be getting to them

The pictures shown on TV about the casualties are very graphic with children as young as 5 picking them up and with their limbs blown off. Surely we are not blaming the parents for letting their children play on waste ground?