[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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