New Zealand and Belgium ratified on Wednesday a UN convention banning the production and use of cluster bombs, bringing it closer to becoming international law.
"New Zealand plans to be an active advocate for this convention. The more states that commit to it, the stronger the norm against cluster munitions will become," the country's disarmament and arms control minister, Georgina Te Heuheu, was quoted by regional media as saying.
"New Zealand's ratification is a great Christmas present for the Convention on Cluster Munitions as it helps bring the agreement one step closer to becoming international law," said Mary Wareham, coordinator with the Aotearoa New Zealand Cluster Munitions Coalition (ANZCMC).
A total of 104 countries have signed the convention, and four more ratifications to bring them to 30 are needed for the agreement to enter into force and become a binding international law six months later.
The United States, China and Russia, which produce cluster bombs, and India, Pakistan and Israel that use them have refused to join the convention.
Belgium was the first country in February 2006 to enact a national prohibition on cluster munitions, and it was the first to pass legislation in March 2007 to ban investment in cluster munitions producers.
New Zealand is the first Pacific nation to complete ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Cluster munitions are packed into artillery shells, bombs, missiles and are scattered over vast areas. Many do not explode on impact and remain lethal for years, killing or maiming civilians.
One third of all reported cluster munitions casualties are children, 60% of cluster bomb casualties are injured while undertaking their normal everyday activities, according to the international Cluster Munitions Coalition.
BRUSSELS, December 23 (RIA Novosti)
