[E-rundbrief] Info 468 - Cluster munitions - Lebanese Action-day 4.11.06

Matthias Reichl info at begegnungszentrum.at
Fr Nov 3 15:01:08 CET 2006


E-Rundbrief - Info 468 - Lebanese civil society acts against cluster 
munitions. A National Day Against Cluster Munitions, November 4, 
2006, Press Release 4.11.2006.

Bad Ischl, 3.11.2006

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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Lebanese civil society acts against cluster munitions

A National Day Against Cluster Munitions, November 4, 2006

Press Release

Saturday, November 4, 2006

On Saturday, November 4 2006 - on the same weekend of the Cluster 
Munitions Coalition meeting and prior to an international conference 
on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in Geneva  the 
National Demining Office and National Steering Committees on Mine 
Risk Education and Victim Assistance in Lebanon have made a call for 
a public mobilization to urge the international community to take 
action against cluster munitions.

Cluster munitions are weapons that consist of containers holding 
hundreds of submunitions known as bomblets. Designed to be scattered 
over and saturate large areas, these bomblets inevitably target 
civilian zones. By failing to distinguish between civilian zones and 
military targets, cluster munitions violate the spirit of 
international humanitarian law and the Geneva Convention.

After Laos, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, Lebanon is the most recent 
case of the devastating impact of cluster munitions. According to 
Chris Clark, director of the UN Mine Action Coordination Centre 
(UNMACC) for South Lebanon, 2.8 million cluster munitions were fired 
by artillery shells into South Lebanon, primarily in the last 72 
hours of the conflict, acknowledging that these figures do not take 
into consideration air-dropped cluster munitions.

This intense and random bombardment reached more than 700 different 
sites. Furthermore, 40% of these bomblets did not explode on impact, 
thus littering southern Lebanon with around one million unexploded 
cluster munitions. This concentration of cluster munitions is more 
severe than that noted in the aftermath of conflicts in Iraq, 
Afghanistan and Kosovo.

Cluster munitions have polluted civilian and agricultural areas, 
residential zones, schools and infrastructure, thus hindering 
long-term economic recovery and putting civilian lives at stake. 
Since the ceasefire, 150 persons have become victims of cluster 
munitions, 90% of which were civilians, with one third under the age 
of 18 years. Jan Egeland, the UN Under-Secretary-General for 
Humanitarian Affairs called it an "outrage" that Israel dropped 
cluster munitions in southern Lebanon during the last days of its 
offensive against Lebanon. Kofi Annan, the United Nations 
Secretary-General, also condemned Israel's use of cluster munitions 
and asked the Hebrew state to provide the locations of these cluster 
munitions strikes.

Whereas anti-personnel mines are prohibited, cluster munitions are 
still legal. A huge number of countries are still manufacturing, 
using and exporting these weapons. For stakeholders involved in 
programs related to victim assistance, accident prevention and 
clearance of contaminated zones in southern Lebanon and in other 
affected countries, this situation is unbearable.

On Saturday, November 4, 2006, the National Demining Office, the 
National Steering Committees for Mine Risk Education and Victim 
Assistance, UNICEF, Norwegian People's Aid and Handicap International 
have made a call on civil society to participate and mobilize in a 
national day against cluster munitions. This event will send a 
message to the international community at a time when the Review 
Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons in 
Geneva (7-17 November) will take place. This conferencce presents an 
important opportunity for states to launch international negotiations 
on the legality of cluster munitions.

The main activities of this day will be as follows: a large photo 
exhibition, revealing the disasters caused by these weapons in 
southern Lebanon and other countries; a workshop illustrating the 
construction of prosthetics and artificial limbs; an area where the 
public can try prosthetics and wheelchairs; a puppet show for 
children to raise awareness on the issue of cluster munitions; a 
reproduction of a polluted zone with a representation of different 
types of cluster munitions; demining demonstrations; and the signing 
of a petition to show Lebanese civil society's solidarity in a call 
on the international community for action against cluster munitions. 
In addition, a press tent, information booths and other Mine Risk 
Education activities will help contribute to a better understanding 
of the extent of the tragedy amongst the public.

Info from: Arab NGO Network for Development <www.ANND.ORG>

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Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
     Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
     Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
     Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
     fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
     Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Bad Ischl, 
Geschäftsstelle Pfandl
IBAN: AT922031400600970305    BIC: SKBIAT21XXX 




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