OPINIONIreland should take a lead and ban the use of cluster bombs, writes Nuala Ahern
CLUSTER BOMBS are fearful weapons, but millions of them have been used in warfare, and they remain a danger for many years, with devastating effect on the lives of civilians and non-combatants.
In 2006 in South Lebanon, an area known well to Irish peace-keeping soldiers, one million bomblets were dropped in the space of 72 hours before the ceasefire, and many of these will continue to kill and maim for years. Banning and clearing landmines is of little use if similar situations are created by cluster munitions.
Ireland has promised a unilateral cluster bomb ban in the programme for government, so why the delay in banning these dreadful weapons? The Government is agreed, Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern is very much in favour, there is cross-party support for a ban, indeed the majority party in Government, Fianna Fáil, can be said to have played a leading role in promoting a ban on cluster bombs over a number of years.
Everyone seems poised to do the right thing, so why do we now learn, (Irish Times, February 11th) that Iveagh House is offloading the preparation of such legislation onto a new committee dealing with humanitarian law?
The proposed committee's first task, we are told, will be to commence work on the preparation of legislative and other measures to ban cluster munitions in line with an international convention expected to emerge from the Dublin conference in May.
Setting up a standing national committee on international humanitarian law may well be an excellent thing to do, but it has nothing directly to do with banning cluster bombs.
While the International Committee of the Red Cross has called for an international treaty banning these weapons, it has also called for an immediate end to the use of such weapons, and has commended countries such as Austria, Belgium, Hungary and Norway which have already enacted national legislation to ban these weapons. Ireland is not only a neutral state, unlike Belgium, but also does not use these weapons and should have no reason to delay a unilateral ban.
If all we do is set up this committee, then Ireland will not be playing the leading role expected in the May conference. Introducing legislation to implement whatever may be ultimately agreed in a convention is no alternative to taking a principled stance and showing leadership, as Ireland has done in the past.
Ireland led the way with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and we must again demonstrate that skill and commitment with a cluster bomb ban. A comprehensive ban on cluster munitions by Ireland will be a crucial contribution towards strengthening and leading global opinion for a total ban.
Belgium, despite being a member of Nato, had the political courage to be the first country to enact a law prohibiting cluster munitions which came into force on June 9th, 2006. Austria stated at the Vienna Conference on Cluster Munitions last December that it would ban the possession, use, production, development and transfer of cluster munitions, including so called "intelligent" sensor-fused munitions.
To date, 188 states have followed Ireland's example and signed the non-proliferation treaty and it remains a linchpin in keeping the spectre of nuclear warfare at bay. Ireland was also a major player in the campaign for an international landmines ban, to which a unilateral ban by Ireland contributed in no small measure by persuading other states to join. This culminated in the Ottawa Treaty of 1997, which has been ratified by 156 countries.
In this light, Ireland uniquely has a leading role in making a unilateral stand on cluster bombs. It should announce a unilateral ban at the conference in May, as Austria did in Vienna. All that is required is for the unilateral ban to be passed by the Oireachtas. Nothing more and nothing less.
• Nuala Ahernis a former member of the European Parliament for the Green Party