COUNTERING CLUSTER MUNITIONS

That this House acknowledges the Goverment's leadership in helping to bring about the signing in Oslo, by almost one hundred countries, of a comprehensive ban on production and use of all forms of cluster munitions; commends the Government for commencing immediately the destruction of existing stockpiles and committing publicly to complete total destruction well within the eight year deadline specified within the treaty; urges the Government to exert its influence further in pursuit of global cluster munition eradication by confirming, on parliamentary record, that ratification of the treaty will take place before the end of 2009-10 session, committing firmly to recruit to treaty support those remaining non-signatory nations such as Cambodia, Iraq, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Thailand and the United States and extending its influence, in terms of allocation of aid, to deal with consequential conditions in those cluster munition-affected countries, particularly Laos, the nation most grievously afflicted by these hideous devices, in aspects of concern such as victim assistance, survey and clearance, and risk education, recalling that the current £30 million commitment to mine action over the next three years will be an effective reduction in real terms, after taking into account the added obligations of countering cluster munition contamination, to which one must add further humanitarian benchmarks supporting post-clearance socio-economic reconstruction and development; and commends the staff and officers of Landmine Action and other similar organisations for their efforts in this field and pays tribute to the level and quality of their work around the world.