“Now there is no way back”, said Stan Brabant from Handicap International. “More states will follow. We are convinced we will have a treaty prohibiting use, production, trade and stockpiling of cluster munitions by 2008”, as the declaration says, “since most of the states expressed their full support to this process. That not only could make cluster munitions an illegal weapon but also show its moral unacceptability in the international community.”

Even countries like United Kingdom, France and Germany supported the Oslo declaration. Only 3 countries (Poland, Romania and Japan) expressed their reservations and their confidence in the arms talks in Geneva. Handicap International strongly believes that only a treaty can avoid many more victims of cluster munitions and give survivors the support they really need. “It is extremely important that the states express their commitment to support the survivors and their communities, from the beginning of the process,” so said Stan Brabant.

Handicap International also stresses that the destruction of the stockpiles – in total 4 billion submunitions are stockpiled – is a necessity, if we want to avoid the humanitarian disaster caused when states and non-state actors use them.

Handicap International welcomed the agreement by states to a clear roadmap for the way forward with follow up meetings in this process in Lima in May or June, Vienna in November and Dublin in early 2008.

The group of 46 states agreeing to the new process includes key users, producers and stockpilers of the weapon from all continents, including a number of countries affected by cluster munitions such as Afghanistan, Lebanon and Serbia.

The presence of 100 participants from NGOs at a parallel civil society forum held in Oslo during the government meeting underlines the growing determination amongst civil society groups for a new treaty. This public campaign and partnership with governments mirrors the successful effort to ban landmines in the 1990s.

The presentation by Stan Brabant from Handicap International about cluster munitions.
The official Oslo declaration.