Oslo, Norway
Thank you very much for giving the Cluster Munition Coalition a chance to speak during this opening session of the Oslo Conference on Cluster Munitions. It's nice to be speaking to a packed house. We're glad that the interest is so high in this conference and that so many have expressed a strong interest in being here. I'm especially pleased that we're off to such a rousing start, with the announcements that we've just heard from Austria about its new moratorium on cluster munitions and its willingness to host a follow-up meeting in this process. That set a very good tone for what we hope to accomplish over the course of the next two days.
The governments that have come here to launch a process aimed at the development of a new treaty to prohibit cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians are to be congratulated. You are to be praised for responding to an urgent humanitarian imperative. You have the chance to do something great-to do something grand: to launch a process that will result in a treaty that saves countless lives in the future; something that can change the world. This group can make that happen. It can not only start the process, but ensure that the process succeeds with a good two days here.
We started yesterday in the Cluster Munition Coalition. We held a Civil Society Forum that was very successful. We've received excellent feedback from governments and others who attended. We have more than 100 NGOs from about 35 countries attending the Forum, this meeting, and a parallel conference that we're holding in this building. This is a strong indicator of the increasing degree of public awareness and commitment on this issue. Indeed, public awareness is growing every day. More importantly, public outrage at cluster munitions is already strong and is growing every day.
At the end of our Civil Society Forum yesterday we issued an appeal to governments. I won't read the entire appeal; we have copies of it available for you. But the essence of it is this: Governments gathered in Oslo should firmly commit to concluding a new international treaty in 2008 that will put an end to the human suffering caused by cluster munitions. Governments should agree to a clear action plan for the next two years with steps at the national, regional, and international levels that will facilitate the development, negotiation, and conclusion of a new treaty in 2008. We called on governments immediately to stop the use, trade, or production of cluster munitions. And this moratorium on use, trade, and production should remain in place until a new treaty is concluded.
The speakers in this session have been asked to talk about the challenges and the actions to address the challenges. For this group-this self-selecting group-there should be no real need to elaborate on the challenges posed by cluster munitions. It's all too evident. The documentation is abundant. The evidence is clear. Simply put, cluster munitions kill and injure too many civilians. This is the predicable and foreseeable outcome of use of cluster munitions.
They kill and injure too many civilians at the time of attack because of their wide area effect. Human Rights Watch and many others have concluded that when cluster munitions are used in populated areas, it should be presumed that such attacks are indiscriminate and therefore illegal. Cluster munitions also kill and injure too many civilians after conflict by leaving so many explosive duds on the ground that act as antipersonnel landmines. Moreover, cluster munitions not only kill and injure civilians, but also leave a long term socio-economic disaster to deal with as well.
When cluster munitions are used, they are used irresponsibly. We should face that fact. Whether it's in Lebanon in 2006, or Iraq in 2003, or Afghanistan in 2001-2002, or Kosovo in 1999, or Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 70s. When they are used, they are used irresponsibly-including by some of those nations that profess to scrupulously adhere to international humanitarian law. They get used in huge numbers. They get used in populated areas. Old, outdated models get used even when new models are available. Despite any good intentions, in actual combat cluster munitions-weapons with such inherently dangerous characteristics-get used in irresponsible ways. You can count on it. Clearly existing international humanitarian law is not sufficient.
One challenge that is not talked about very much, and I'll only touch on it, is the challenge to the military forces that use cluster munitions. It's been shown that clusters hinder the mobility of armed forces and endanger your own troops. An after action report by the US Third Infantry Division following its fighting in Iraq in 2003 called cluster munitions "losers," and said they were a relic of the Cold War. The military dangers of cluster munitions have been understated and their military utility has been overstated.
Earlier the Foreign Minister and the ICRC referred to the challenge of proliferation. In the two dozen or so countries where cluster munitions have been used, they've been used with horrific effect. But in truth, cluster munitions are a humanitarian disaster still waiting to happen. We count about 75 countries that stockpile the weapon. There are millions and millions of cluster munitions already in stock that contain billions of submunitions. Billions of submunitions. If these billions of submunitions get transferred outside of these 75 countries, including possibly to non-state actors, if they get used, if even a small portion get used, they could make the landmine crisis pale in comparison.
So this meeting is happening just in time. No, that's probably wrong. We've waited and delayed too long. The victims in Lebanon and in other recent conflicts can attest to that. We've waited too long. But if we act urgently, we can avert a much bigger crisis-one that could take a huge toll in civilian casualties and in socio-economic costs, including the huge cost of cleaning up and trying to help the affected communities and victims.
What are the realistic and effective actions that can be taken? To begin, you should make clear during this meeting that states are prepared to act in an urgent and comprehensive fashion, as demanded by the threat posed by these weapons. You should make clear that you are committed to concluding a new treaty and to do so by 2008. The date is important. The urgency is essential. You should make clear that this treaty will be as comprehensive as possible: a prohibition, not just a restriction on cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm. Make clear that the treaty will be integrated in its approach, that it will be humanitarian in nature and not just disarmament. It must include provisions on clearance and victim assistance, on cooperation and assistance. It should be a treaty that is not really aimed at a weapon, but a treaty that is aimed at protecting civilians and helping civilians cope with the consequences of war.
We should emerge from this meeting with a strong declaration, with agreement on the draft declaration that you've all seen. And we should develop an action plan. A meeting in Austria is a very good start to an action plan. There should be an entire series of follow-on meetings. We look forward to other governments coming forward and offering up their support for the development of this process.
There are pitfalls, many pitfalls that lay ahead of us. One I would cite would be the CCW, the Convention on Conventional Weapons. The CCW has already failed to deal with this issue. There should not be any pretense that the CCW will be able to deal with this issue urgently or effectively. Recent history has shown that just won't happen. On another potential pitfall, we shouldn't think that there will be a strictly technical solution. We couldn't agree more with the Foreign Minister that a technical approach is simply not enough and would not be an adequate response to the cluster munition problem.
In addition to the things that you can do here this week, in launching what we hope will be an historic process, you need to take steps at the national level and at the regional level. Austria has shown you the best step to take-announce a new moratorium on use, production, and trade of cluster munitions. Begin destroying your stockpiles of older models of cluster munitions. There are lots of things that can be done at the national level that can help build the momentum and support for the solution to this problem.
I'll conclude by again congratulating all of you for being here-for accepting the invitation of the Foreign Minister to come together to launch a new process aimed at prohibiting cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm. This is one of the most significant steps that governments can take to protect civilians from the effects of armed conflict and the aftermath of armed conflict, one of the most important steps you can take in order to provide civilians with adequate protection from the consequences of war.
To be successful we have to work in partnership. We have to rekindle the working relationships that we used during the landmine campaign where governments, NGOs, the ICRC, and UN agencies worked together to respond as comprehensively as possible to a humanitarian imperative. Together, we can make it happen again.
Thank you.
