GROUP OF EXPERTS SEARCHING FOR A COMPROMISE TOWARDS A NEW PROTOCOL ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS CONCLUDE SESSION

The Group of Governmental Experts of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) continued its efforts last week to "negotiate a proposal to address urgently the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions, while striking a balance between military and humanitarian considerations", a mandate adopted by the States parties in November 2007. The Group concluded its fourth 2008 session on 5 September at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Chairperson Ambassador Bent Wigotski of Denmark mainly focused discussions on the crucial general prohibitions and restrictions of the use of cluster munitions (Art. 4). The Group succeeded to narrow down the three earlier available options into one heavily bracketed text. Further substantive progress on this text will need to be achieved at the Group's next session.

The issues of storage and destruction (Art. 5) and transfers of cluster munitions (Art. 6) were also discussed in-depth under the newly appointed Friend of the Chair, Mr. Julio Fontes Laranjeira of Brazil. Discussions on definitions under Friend of the Chair Col. Jim Burke of Ireland also took place. Other Friends of the Chair organized several informal consultations to further refine the text under their respective responsibilities.

Based on the work achieved by the Group, the Chairperson indicated his intention to prepare and submit a new draft proposal during the intersessional period. This document will be subject to further examination during the Group's fifth session. The fifth 2008 session of the Group of Governmental Experts will take place in Geneva from 3 to 7 November 2008, and will report on its work to the Meeting of High Contracting Parties to be held on 13 and 14 November 2008.

The humanitarian impact of cluster munitions has been discussed within the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects since 2001, first - under a broader theme of explosive remnants of war, and since last year – as the main item of the agenda of the Group of Governmental Experts.

The 1980 Convention was opened for signature at New York on 10 April 1981 and entered into force on 2 December 1983. It currently has 107 States Parties. The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the depositary of the Convention.


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