Cluster bomb
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Manxruler
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'''{{Expert-subject|Military history}}'''
[[Image:B1-B Lancer and cluster bombs.jpg|thumb|A US [[B-1 Lancer]] releasing its payload of cluster bombs]]
'''Cluster munitions''' or '''cluster bombs''' are air-dropped or ground-launched munitions that eject a number of smaller submunitions: a cluster of bomblets. The most common types are intended to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles. Submunition based weapons designed to destroy [[runway]]s, [[electric power transmission]] lines, deliver [[chemical weapon|chemical]] or [[biological weapon|biological]] weapons, or to scatter [[land mine]]s have also been produced. Some submunition based weapons can disperse non-munition payloads, such as leaflets.
Because cluster bombs release many small unexploded bomblets over a wide area, they can kill or maim [[civilian]]s long after a conflict has ended. Unexploded submunitions are very costly to locate and remove.
Cluster bombs are prohibited under the [[Convention on Cluster Munitions]], which was adopted in Dublin in May 2008 and will open for signature in December 2008. The general rules of [[international humanitarian law]] aimed at protecting civilians also apply to cluster bombs as they do to all weapons.
==Development==
The first cluster bomb used operationally was the [[Nazi Germany|German]] SD-2 or ''Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg'', commonly referred to as the [[Butterfly Bomb]]. It was used during the [[World War II|Second World War]] to attack both civilian and military targets. The technology was developed independently by the [[United States of America]], [[Russia]] and [[Italy]] (see [[Thermos Bomb]]). Cluster bombs are now standard air-dropped munitions for many nations, in a wide variety of types. Currently produced by 34 countries and used by at least 23.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/07/europe/cluster.php Austria bans cluster munitions - International Herald Tribune<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
[[Artillery]] shells that employ similar principles have existed for decades. They are typically referred to as '''[[Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition|ICM]]''' ('''Improved Conventional Munitions''') shells. The US military slang terms for them are "firecracker" or "popcorn" shells, for the many small explosions they cause in the target area.
==Types of cluster bombs==
A basic cluster bomb is a hollow shell containing from three to more than 2,000 submunitions. Some types are dispensers that are designed to be retained by the aircraft after releasing their munitions. The submunitions themselves may be fitted with small [[parachute]] retarders or [[Model rocket#Parachute/Streamer|streamer]]s to slow their descent (allowing the aircraft to escape the blast area in low-altitude attacks).
[[Image:BLU-3 Pineapple Cluster bomblet.jpg|left|thumb|A US Vietnam era BLU-3 cluster bomblet]]
Modern cluster bombs and submunition dispensers are often multiple-purpose weapons, containing mixtures of anti-armor, anti-personnel, and anti-material munitions. The submunitions themselves may also be multi-purpose, such as combining a shaped charge, to attack armour, with a fragmenting case, to attack infantry, material, and light vehicles. Modern multipurpose munitions may have an incendiary effect.
A growing trend in the design of submunition-based weapons is the [[smart weapon|smart]] submunition, which uses [[guided missile|guidance circuitry]] to locate and attack particular targets, usually armored vehicles. Recent weapons of this type include the U.S. [[CBU-97]] [[sensor-fused weapon]], first used in combat during the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]. Munitions specifically intended for anti-tank use may be set to self-destruct if they reach the ground without locating a target, theoretically reducing the risk of unintended civilian deaths and injuries. Although smart submunition weapons are many times more expensive than standard cluster bombs, which are cheaper and simpler to manufacture, far fewer smart submunitions are required for defeating dispersed and mobile targets in an area, offsetting this cost.
===Incendiary===
Incendiary cluster bombs are intended to start fires, just as conventional [[incendiary bomb]]s (also called [[firebomb]]s). They are specifically designed for this purpose, with submunitions of [[white phosphorus]] or [[napalm]], and they often include anti-personnel and anti-tank submunitions to hamper firefighting efforts. When used in cities they have often been preceded by the use of conventional explosive bombs to break open the roofs and walls of buildings to expose flammable contents to the incendiaries. One of the earliest examples is the so-called [[Molotov bread basket]] first used by the Soviet Union in the [[Winter War]] of 1939-40. This type of munition was extensively used by both sides in the [[Strategic bombing during World War II|strategic bombings of World War II]]. Bombs of this type were used to start [[firestorm]]s in cases such as the [[bombing of Dresden in World War II]] and the [[firebombing of Tokyo]].
A modern development of the incendiary cluster bomb is the [[thermobaric weapon]]. In these types of weapons, submunitions are used to deliver a highly combustible aerosol, which is subsequently ignited, resulting in a high pressure explosion.
[[Image:Molotov bread basket.jpg|thumb|During the [[Winter War]] of 1939–1940, the [[Soviet Union]] dropped [[Molotov bread basket]]s, which scattered incendiary bomblets, on [[Finland]].]]
===Anti-personnel===
Anti-personnel cluster bombs use explosive [[fragmentation (weaponry)|fragmentation]] to kill troops and destroy soft (unarmored) targets. Along with incendiary cluster bombs, these were among the first forms of cluster bombs produced by [[Germany]] during [[World War II]]. They were famously used during [[the Blitz]] with delay and booby-trap fusing to prevent firefighting and other damage control efforts in the bombed areas. They were also used with a contact fuse when attacking entrenchments. These weapons were most widely used during the Vietnam War when many thousands of tons{{Fact|date=May 2008}} of submunitions were dropped on Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
===Anti-tank===
Most anti-armor munitions contain [[shaped charge]] [[warhead]]s to pierce the armor of [[tank]]s and [[armored fighting vehicle]]s. In some cases, guidance is used to increase the likelihood of successfully hitting a vehicle. Modern guided submunitions, such as those found in the U.S. [[CBU-97]] can use either a shaped charge warhead or an [[explosively formed penetrator]]. Unguided shaped-charge submunitions are designed to be effective against entrenchments that incorporate overhead cover. To simplify supply and increase battlefield effectiveness by allowing a single type of round to be used against nearly any target, submunitions that incorporate both fragmentation and shaped-charge effects are produced. In [[United States Army]] and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] [[Field Artillery]] units, this is a common type of shell used in ground warfare.
===Anti-runway===
Anti-runway submunitions such as the British [[JP233]] are designed to penetrate [[concrete]] before detonating, allowing them to shatter and crater runway surfaces. In the case of the JP233, the cratering effect is achieved through the use of a two-stage warhead that combines a shaped charge and conventional explosive. The shaped charge creates a small crater inside which the conventional explosive detonates to enlarge it. Anti-runway submunitions are usually used along with anti-personnel submunitions equipped with delay or booby-trap fuses that act as [[anti-personnel mine]]s to make repair more difficult.
===Mine-laying===
When submunition-based weapons are used to disperse mines, their submunitions do not detonate immediately, but behave like conventional [[land mines]] that detonate later. The submunitions usually include a combination of [[Anti-personnel mine|anti-personnel]] and [[anti-tank mine]]s. Since such mines usually lie on exposed surfaces, the anti-personnel forms, such as the US [[Area Denial Artillery Munition]] normally deploy tripwires automatically after landing to make clearing the minefield more difficult. In order to avoid rendering large portions of the battlefield permanently impassable, and to minimize the amount of mine-clearing needed after a conflict, scatterable mines used by the [[United States]] are designed to self-destruct after a period of time from 4-48 hours. The internationally agreed definition of cluster munitions being negotiated in the Oslo Process may not include this type of weapon, since landmines are already covered in other specific international instruments.
[[Image:Demonstration cluster bomb.jpg|left|thumb|U.S. [[Honest John missile]] warhead cutaway, showing M139 [[Sarin]] bomblets (photo circa 1960)]]
===Chemical weapons===
During the 1950s and 1960s, the [[United States]] and [[Soviet Union]] developed cluster weapons designed to deliver [[chemical weapon]]s. The [[Chemical Weapons Convention]] of 1993 banned their use. Six nations declared themselves in possession of chemical weapons. The US and Russia are in the process of destroying their stockpiles, although they have received extensions for the full destruction.
===Anti-electrical===
An anti-electrical weapon, the CBU-94/B, was first used by the U.S. in the [[Kosovo War]] in 1999. These consist of a TMD (Tactical Munitions Dispenser) filled with 202 BLU-114/B submunitions. Each submunition contains a small explosive charge that disperses 147 reels of fine conductive fiber, either carbon fiber or aluminum-coated glass fiber. Their purpose is to disrupt and damage [[electric power transmission]] systems by producing [[short circuit]]s in high-voltage power lines and [[electrical substation]]s. On the first attack, these knocked out 70% of the electrical power supply in [[Serbia]]. There are reports that it took 500 people 15 hours to get one transformer yard back on line after being hit with the conductive fibers.
===Leaflet dispensing===
[[Image:Korean-leaflet-bomb.jpg|thumb|A U.S. serviceman loading a munition with 22,500 [[Korean language]] leaflets in 1950 for use as [[psychological warfare]] during the [[Korean War]]]]
The LBU-30 is designed for dropping large quantities of leaflets from aircraft. (Dispensing leaflets from the air is a common [[propaganda]] tactic in wartime.) Enclosing the leaflets within the bomblets ensures that the leaflets will fall on the intended area without being dispersed excessively by the wind. The LBU-30 consists of SUU-30 dispensers that have been adapted to [[Pamphlet|leaflet]] dispersal. The dispensers are essentially recycled units from old bombs. The LBU-30 was tested at [[Eglin Air Force Base]] in 2000, by an [[F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16]] flying at {{convert|20000|ft|m}}.<ref>Global Security.org LBU-30</ref>
==Threat to civilians==
While all weapons are potentially dangerous to civilians, cluster bombs pose a particular threat to civilians for two reasons: they have a wide area of effect, and they have consistently left behind a large number of unexploded bomblets. The unexploded bomblets remain dangerous for decades after the end of a conflict.
Cluster munitions are opposed by many individuals and hundreds of groups, such as the [[Red Cross]],<ref>[http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/ihl-weapon-news-061106?opendocument Cluster munitions: ICRC calls for urgent international action<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the [[Cluster Munition Coalition]] and the [[United Nations]], because of the high number of civilians that have fallen victim to the weapon. Since February 2005, [[Handicap International]] called for cluster munitions to be prohibited and collected hundreds of thousands of signatures to support its call.<ref>[http://www.clusterbombs.org www.clusterbombs.org]</ref> 98% of 13,306 recorded cluster munitions casualties that are registered with Handicap International are civilians.[http://en.handicapinternational.be/index.php?action=article&numero=467&PHPSESSID=f60cf971ac6dee500a0ad9b84daf52dd/]
The area affected by a single cluster munition, known as its footprint, can be as large as two or three American [[List_of_unusual_units_of_measurement#Football_field_2|football fields]] <ref>The area of a typical American football field is 0.0054 km², a football(soccer) pitch is at most 0.011 km²</ref>. A single unguided M26 [[MLRS]] rocket can effectively cover an area of 0.23 km²[http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m26.htm]. In US and most allied services, the M26 has been replaced by the M30 guided missile fired from the [[MLRS]]. The M30 has greater range and accuracy but a smaller area of coverage. It is worth noting that for reasons including both danger to civilians and changing tactical requirements, the non-cluster unitary warhead XM31 missile is, in many cases, replacing even the M30.
Because of the weapon's broad area of effect, they have often been documented as striking both civilian and military objects in the target area. This characteristic of the weapon is particularly problematic for civilians when cluster munitions are used in or near populated areas and has been documented by research reports from groups such as [[Human Rights Watch]],<ref>{{cite paper
|url=http://hrw.org/reports/2003/usa1203/usa1203.pdf|format=[[PDF]]|publisher=Human Rights Watch|title=Off Target: The Conduct of the War and Civilian Casualties in Iraq|date=2003-12}}</ref> Landmine Action, [[Mines Action Canada]] and Handicap International. In some cases, like the [[Zagreb rocket attack]], civilians were deliberately targeted by such weapons. <ref>{{cite paper
|url=http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2007/pr1162e-summary.htm|publisher=International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia|title=Summary of Judgement for Milan Martic|date=2007-6}}</ref>
===Unexploded ordnance===
The other serious problem is [[unexploded ordnance]] (UXO) of cluster bomblets left behind after a strike. These bomblets may be [[dud]]s or in some cases the weapons are designed to detonate at a later stage. In both cases, the surviving bomblets are live and can explode when handled, making them a serious threat to civilians and military personnel entering the area. In effect, the UXOs can function like [[land mines]].
Even though cluster bombs are designed to fully explode, there are always some individual submunitions that do not explode on impact. The US-made MLRS with [[M-26 artillery rocket|M26]] warhead and [[M-77 Oganj|M77]] submunitions are supposed to have a 5% dud rate but studies have shown that some have a much higher rate.<ref>1 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, "Unexploded Ordnance Report," table 2-3, p. 5. No date, but transmitted to the U.S. Congress on February 29, 2000</ref> The rate in acceptance tests prior to the [[Gulf War]] for this type ranged from 2% to a high of 23% for rockets cooled to {{convert|-25|°F|°C|abbr=on}} before testing.<ref>{{cite paper
|url=http://archive.gao.gov/t2pbat5/149647.pdf |format=[[PDF]]|publisher=US General Accounting Office |title=Operation Desert Storm: Casualties Caused by Improper Handling of Unexploded U.S. Submunitions |date=August, 1993 |accessdate=2006-09-01 }}</ref> The [[M483A1]] [[DPICM]] artillery-delivered cluster bombs have a reported dud rate of 14% <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/arms/cluster031803.htm|title=Cluster Munitions a Foreseeable Hazard in Iraq|work=Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper}}</ref>.
Given that each cluster bomb can contain hundreds of bomblets and befired in volleys, even a small failure rate can lead each strike to leave behind hundreds or thousands of UXOs scattered randomly across the strike area. For example, after the [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict]], UN experts have estimated that as many as one million unexploded bomblets may contaminate the hundreds of cluster munition strike sites in Lebanon.<ref>{{cite news|title='Million bomblets' in S Lebanon|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=2006-09-26|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5382192.stm|accessdate=2006-09-26}}</ref> [[Hezbollah]] also used a much smaller number of bomblet-dispersing rockets in its shelling of northern Israel. <ref>[http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/10/18/lebano14412.htm http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/10/18/lebano14412.htm]</ref>
In addition, some cluster bomblets, such as the [[BLU-97/B]] used in the [[CBU-87]], are brightly colored to increase their visibility and warn off civilians. However, the color, coupled with their small and nonthreatening appearance, has caused children to interpret them as toys. This problem was exacerbated in the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)]], when US forces dropped humanitarian rations from airplanes with similar yellow-colored packaging as the BLU-97/B, yellow being the NATO standard colour for high explosive filler in air weapons. The rations packaging was later changed first to blue and then to clear in the hope of avoiding such hazardous confusion.
The US military is developing new cluster bombs that it claims could have a much lower (less than 1%) dud rate.<ref>{{cite paper |url=http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y2005/Army/0603778A.pdf|format=[[PDF]]|publisher=Defense Technical Information Center|title=Army RDT&E Budget Item Justification, Item No. 177, MLRS Product Improvement Program|date=February, 1993|accessdate=2006-09-01}}</ref> However, in the past, manufacturers' claims about new cluster munitions have proven unreliable and the same problems with unexploded ordnance have persisted. Previous claims for example about the reliability of the CBU-87 with BLU-97 submunitions were not borne out by reality in Afghanistan and Kosovo.<ref>{{cite paper
|url=http://www.landmineaction.org/resources/resource.asp?resID=1035|publisher=Landmine Action|title=Cluster munitions in Kosovo: Analysis of use, contamination and casualties|date=February, 2007}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=June 2008}} Sensor-fused weapons that contain a limited number of submunitions that are capable of autonomously engaging armored targets may provide a viable, if costly, alternative to cluster munitions that will allow multiple target engagement with one shell or bomb while avoiding the civilian deaths and injuries consistently documented from the use of cluster munitions. Certain such weapons may be allowed under the recently adopted Convention on Cluster Munitions, provided they do not have the indiscriminate area effects or pose the unexploded ordnance risks of cluster munitions.
===Civilian deaths from unexploded cluster bomblets===
* In Vietnam, people are still being killed as a result of cluster bombs and other objects left by the US and South Vietnamese military forces. Estimates range up to 300 people killed annually by unexploded ordnance.<ref>[http://clearpathinternational.org/cpiblog/archives/cat_vietnam.php Clear Path International: Assisting Landmine Survivors, their Families and their Communities<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* In post-war [[Kosovo]] unexploded cluster bomblets caused more civilian deaths than landmines.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/761092.stm BBC News | EUROPE | Kosovo mine expert criticises Nato<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* In the final 72 hours of the war between Israel and Hezballah, Israel dropped over 1,000,000 cluster bombs on Lebanese civilian populated areas. In August 2006, the UN's [[Mine Action Coordination Center]] in [[Tyre, Lebanon]] raised an alarm over the post-conflict impact on returning civilians of unexploded cluster bombs used by [[Israel]] against Lebanese civilian occupied village areas. Israel has not provided maps to the [[United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon]] (UNIFIL) and Israel's refusal to cooperate with the U.N has further caused diplomatic tension.
Israel used cluster bombs in Lebanon in 1978 and in the 1980s. The United States placed restrictions on their use and then a moratorium on the transfer of cluster bombs to Israel out of concern for Lebanese civilian casualties, during that time. Those weapons used more than two decades ago by Israel continue to affect Lebanon. <ref>http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/24/isrlpa13798.htm</ref> Since the war in 2006 nearly 300 Lebanese civilians have been killed, a small number of the people killed include UN peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon. <ref>http://tadamon.resist.ca/index.php/post/1300</ref>
===Areas with significant unexploded cluster bomb submunitions===
[[Image:Stop cluster bombs march.jpg|thumb|Double-[[amputation|amputee]] demonstrators from [[Afghanistan]] and [[Ethiopia]] at the Dublin conference]]
* [[Nagorno Karabakh]]
* [[Lebanon]]
* [[Indochina]], especially in [[Laos]] and central [[Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone|Vietnam's former demilitarized zone]].
* [[Kosovo]]
* [[Afghanistan]]
* [[Iraq]]
* [[Western Sahara]]
Countries that have been affected by cluster munitions include:
{|
|-valign="top"
|
* Afghanistan
* Albania
* Bosnia & Herzegovina
* Cambodia
* Chad
* Croatia
* Eritrea
* Ethiopia
|
* Iraq
* Israel
* Kuwait
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Montenegro
* Pakistan
* Russia (Chechnya)
|
* Saudi Arabia
* Serbia (including Kosovo)
* Sierra Leone
* Sudan
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Vietnam
* Western Sahara
|}
==International legislation==
Although cluster bombs fall under the general rules of [[international humanitarian law]], they were not specifically covered by any currently binding international legal instrument. An initiative by the Government of Norway launched the international Oslo Process in February 2007 to prohibit cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/policy/cluster/initiative/initiative.htm|title=The Norwegian Government’s initiative for a ban on cluster munitions|work=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norway)|The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]]}}</ref> More than 100 countries agreed to the text of the resulting [[Convention on Cluster Munitions]] in May 2008 which sets out a comprehensive ban on these weapons. The Oslo Process was launched largely in response to the failure of the [[Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons]] (CCW) where five years of discussions failed to find an adequate response to these weapons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/policy/cluster/clustermunitions.htm|title=Webcast from the Oslo Conference on Cluster Munitions|work=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norway)|The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]]}}</ref> The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) is campaigning for the widespread signature of this comprehensive ban on cluster munitions.
A number of sections of the Protocol on [[explosive remnants of war]] (Protocol V to the [[Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons|1980 Convention]]), 28 November 2003 <ref>[http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/FULL/610?OpenDocument International Humanitarian Law - Prot V CCW<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> occasionally address the use of cluster munitions, in particular Article 9, which mandates States Parties to "take generic preventive measures aimed at minimising the occurrence of explosive remnants of war". In June 2006, [[Belgium]] was the first country to issue a ban on the use (carrying), transportation, export, stockpiling, trade and production of cluster munitions,<ref>[http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi/article_body.pl?language=fr&caller=summary&pub_date=2006-06-09&numac=2006009449 Belgian ban]</ref> and [[Austria]] followed suit on [[2007-12-07]].<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/07/europe/cluster.php Austria bans cluster munitions - International Herald Tribune<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
There has been parliamentary activity on cluster munitions in several countries, including [[Austria]], [[Australia]], [[Denmark]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Netherlands]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Switzerland]], [[United Kingdom]] and [[United States]]. In some of these countries, there are ongoing discussions concerning draft legislation banning cluster munitions, along the lines of the legislation adopted in [[Belgium]]. Norway has also committed itself to an international ban on cluster munitions and has in place a moratorium on the weapon, as does Hungary. Austria enacted a national law banning cluster munitions in December 2007.
===International treaties===
[[Image:Cononclubom.png|thumb|300px|Nations subscribing to the Wellington Declaration, which led to the [[Convention on Cluster Munitions]]]]
Other weapons, such as [[land mines]], have been banned in many countries under specific legal instruments for several years, notably the [[Ottawa Treaty]] to ban land mines, and some of the Protocols in the [[Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons]] that also help clearing the lands contaminated by left munitions after the end of conflicts and provides international assistance to the affected populations. However, until the recent adoption of the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Dublin in May 2008 cluster bombs were not banned by any international treaty and were considered legitimate weapons by some governments.
International governmental deliberations in the [[Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons]] turned on the broader problem of explosive remnants of war, a problem to which cluster munitions have contributed in a significant way. However, despite calls from humanitarian organizations (notably the [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|International Comity of the Red Cross]] and [[Handicap International]]) and approximately 30 governments, international governmental negotiations to develop specific measures that would address the humanitarian problems cluster munitions pose did not prove possible in the conventional multilateral forum and, because of its consensus decision making practices, current deliberations in the CCW face serious challenges in developing a meaningful outcome.
In February 2006, [[Belgium]] announced its decision to ban the weapon by law. Then [[Austria]] decided to work for an international instrument on the weapon and the international controversy over the use and impact of cluster munitions during the war between [[Hezbollah]] and [[Israel]] in July and August 2006.
[[Image:Stop cluster bomb march - Uganda.jpg|left|thumb|[[Uganda]]n demonstrator at the May 2008 Dublin conference for the [[Convention on Cluster Munitions]]]]
Against this background, a new flexible multilateral process similar to the process that led to the ban on anti-personnel land mines in 1997 (the [[Ottawa Treaty]]) began with an announcement in November 2006<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6140530.stm BBC NEWS | Europe | New bomb clean-up treaty begins<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in [[Geneva]] as well at the same time by the Government of [[Norway]] that it would convene an international meeting in early 2007 in [[Oslo]] to work towards a new treaty prohibiting cluster munitions. 49 governments attended the meeting in Oslo February 22-23, 2007 in order to reaffirm their commitment to a new international ban on the weapon. During the meeting Austria announced an immediate moratorium on the use, production and transfer of cluster munitions until a new international treaty banning the weapons is in place.
A follow-up meeting in this process was held in [[Lima]] in May where around 70 states discussed the outline of a new treaty, Hungary became the latest country to announce a moratorium and [[Peru]] launched an initiative to make [[Latin America]] a cluster munition free zone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news.asp?id=70|title=Report on Lima Conference|work=Cluster Munition Coalition}}</ref>
In addition, the ICRC held an experts meeting on cluster munitions in April 2007 which helped clarify technical, legal, military and humanitarian aspects of the weapon with a view to developing an international response.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/p0915|title=Expert Meeting Report: Humanitarian, Military, Technical and Legal Challenges of Cluster Munitions|work=ICRC}}</ref>
Further meetings took place in [[Vienna]] from 4-7 December 2007, and in [[Wellington]] from 18-22 February 2008 where a Declaration was subscribed in favor of a draft convention by more than 60 countries, and in [[Dublin]] in May 2008 after [[Convention_on_Cluster_Munitions#Nations_that_have_subscribed_to_the_Wellington_Declaration|120 countries]] had subscribed the Declaration of Wellington, the ticket for governments to participate at the Dublin Diplomatic Conference from 19 to 30 May 2008.
At the end of this Conference, 111 countries agreed to adopt the [[Convention on Cluster Munitions]], that bans cluster munitions and will be open for signature in [[Oslo]] on December 3, 2008.<ref>[http://www.clustermunitionsdublin.ie www.clustermunitionsdublin.ie]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.norway.org/policy/cluster/klasevapen.htm|title=International ban on cluster munitions|work=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Norway)|The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]]}}</ref><ref>[http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/news.asp?id=51 Cluster Munition Coalition, Stop Cluster Munitions<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==See also==
* [[Cluster Munition Coalition]]
* [[Bomb disposal]]
* [[Demining]]
* [[Clear Path International]]
* [[List of Cluster Bombs]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
*[http://www.stopclustermunitions.org Cluster Munition Coalition]
*[http://www.freewebs.com/connect-us/Cluster_Munitions.pdf An International Treaty to Ban Cluster Munitions: Is There a Strategy for Responsible U.S. Engagement?] Connect U.S. Fund April 2008
{{wikinews|African nations gather to support a ban on cluster bombs}}
*[http://www.icrc.org/eng/cluster-munitions Cluster munitions and international humanitarian law]International Committee of the Red Cross
*[http://www.clusterconvention.org Convention on Cluster Munitions] - Official website serving the government initiative to ban cluster munitions
*[http://www.cpi.org Clear Path International]
*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/lbu-30.htm Global Security.org LBU-30]
*[http://en.handicapinternational.be/index.php?action=article&numero=467&PHPSESSID=f60cf971ac6dee500a0ad9b84daf52dd/ Circle of Impact: The Fatal Footprint of Cluster Munitions on People and Communities] [[16 May]] [[2007]]
*[http://www.disarmamentinsight.blogspot.com Disarmament Insight] website
*[http://www.cfr.org/publication/12060/ Council on Foreign Relations: The Campaign to Ban Cluster Bombs] [[November 21]] [[2006]]
*[http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/12/obama_outshines.php Hillary for, Obama against Cluster Bombs] [[Ya Libnan]] [[December 29]] [[2007]]
*[http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080528/ts_afp/irelandweaponsdiplomacy Landmark cluster bomb ban agreed by 111 countries] [[Yahoo! News]] [[May 28]] [[2008]]
*[http://yalibnan.com/tag/Cluster%20Bombs Cluster Bomb Videos from Lebanon]
*[http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/inc/interactive-map.php?height=480&width=820 Interactive map of cluster bomb producers, stockpilers, users and affected countries]
;Technical
* [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/cbu-97.htm Federation of American Scientists article on the CBU97 and CBU105 cluster bombs with smart munitions.]
* [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/blu-114.htm Federation of American Scientists article on the BLU-114 anti-electrical weapon.]
;Inquiries
* [http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/FADT_CTTE/cluster_bill_2006/index.htm Inquiry by the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee of the Australian Senate into the provisions of the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill 2006]
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[[Category:Cluster bombs| Cluster bombs]]
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[[nl:Clusterbom]]
[[ja:クラスター爆弾]]
[[no:Klasevåpen]]
[[pl:Bomba kasetowa]]
[[ru:Кассетная бомба]]
[[sr:Касетна бомба]]
[[fi:Rypälepommi]]
[[sv:Klusterbomb]]
[[th:ระเบิดลูกปราย]]
[[vi:Đạn dược thứ cấp]]
[[uk:Касетна бомба]]
[[wa:Bombe-troke]]
[[zh:集束炸彈]]