Representatives from governments from all over the world will converge on Croke Park next May for a two-week conference, aimed at agreeing a ban on the use of cluster bombs.
The conference, which will be hosted by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, is intended as the culmination of a series of international gatherings to prepare an agreed text for an international convention banning the use of these weapons which pose a particular danger to civilians, especially children.
Ireland is part of a core group in the process, with Austria, the Holy See, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway and Peru. At a previous international meeting in Oslo last February, 46 states adopted a declaration undertaking to conclude a legally-binding international instrument by 2008 that will "prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians".
Following the Oslo declaration, a meeting in Lima last May saw the number of participating states grow to 68. A total of 138 states attended a further conference in Vienna early this month, where they engaged in detailed and substantive discussion of the text of a draft convention. There is a further meeting scheduled to take place in Wellington, New Zealand in February. The conference in Croke Park takes place from May 19th to 30th.
Mr Ahern said: "In my speech to the United Nations in October, I referred to Ireland's role in seeking a comprehensive response to the curse of cluster munitions, the appalling effects of which are all too evident in Lebanon and elsewhere, and stated that, in order to advance the collaborative effort launched in Oslo last February, Ireland would host a diplomatic conference in May 2008 which we hoped might finalise the first international agreement on cluster munitions."
He added: "Given the clear political momentum which exists, I am hopeful that it will be possible to agree an effective prohibition on the use of cluster munitions, with substantial humanitarian provision for victims and affected areas. A hallmark of the Oslo Process is the involvement of NGOs and civil society representatives, with significant attendance from this sector expected in Dublin."
