(Dublin: 21 May 2008) The formal talks appeared to be progressing well on the third day of the Dublin Conference. The campaigners present in Dublin, especially from Africa and the Americas, are making significant progress through a concerted lobby effort, but the outcome of the conference is still unknown. At 5.00pm the campaign for a strong treaty was boosted by an announcement by the office of UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown that the Ministry of Defence has been instructed to review the risk to civilians posed by the last two cluster munition systems held by the Armed Forces - the artillery-fired M85 and the helicopter-launched M73. The UK has been a difficult negotiator in Dublin, mainly because it is seeking to keep these cluster munitions.

Norway also made a proposal (that has already been reported in the media tonight) to ban all cluster submunitions over a certain weight. The measure would have a significant impact if accepted in the treaty text and if major stockpilers–such as France, Germany, and the UK–sign up to the final agreement as it would require the destruction of hundreds of thousands of submunitions. Such a proposal on the definition had been expected in the course of the negotiations, but it seemed to come earlier than expected.

Also tonight news came through of a media briefing by the U.S. Department of State, where a spokesperson made a ludicrous claim that a measure contained in the draft cluster bomb treaty text would “hurt world security” by preventing the U.S. military “from participating in humanitarian relief work,” such as the current operations in Burma and China. Several governments (including New Zealand) have been supported measures to weaken the current draft treaty language on “interoperability” to enable them to participate in joint military operations with a non-treaty member (such as the U.S., which is not participating in the Dublin negotiations) that uses cluster munitions. Some, such as Fiji, are even arguing the dangerous proposition that live cluster munitions should be retained to enable them to participate in peacekeeping operations that require mine and UXO clearance.

These stories are just the beginnings of the dramas that are likely to unfold in the coming days. The already intense discussions among both diplomats and campaigners will deepen further as the “end game” nears and the treaty is finalised. I still have hope that our vision of a strong and effective treaty that save lives and has a meaningful impact on the ground will be realised at the end of it all.

I spent much of this morning downtown in central Dublin with some campaigners and cluster bomb survivors at a public awareness event by Amnesty International’s Irish section. We took down materials including a giant inflatable orange hand), but the windy conditions made it difficult to set up. Most people on the street stopped to sign the petition against cluster bombs including many tourists (Dublin is a popular holiday destination). Tonight we’ll be back in the Temple Bar district for the opening of a photo exhibition on cluster bombs and a film screening. Check out today’s photos. - Mary Wareham, Oxfam NZ/ANZCMC

Comments