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Washington More than 100 nations, including Britain, gathered in Oslo yesterday to sign a treaty renouncing the use of cluster bombs, in the hope of shaming some of the world’s biggest military powers into abandoning the weapons.
Cluster bombs, which scatter scores of explosive canisters that often explode months or years after a conflict has ended, mainly kill civilians.
The US, Russia, China and Israel – the four largest cluster bomb producers – were absent from the signing. India, Pakistan and many Middle Eastern states also refused to sign. Britain welcomed the ban, which will become part of international humanitarian law after 30 countries ratify it.
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Cluster Bombs are the greatest expresionn of WOH (Weapons of Hate). That's why Israel, China, Russia and the US have refused to sign it. To pretend that the NSA, the CIA, the Mossad and China's Secret services do love work around the world is certainly childish.
Zeev Reuteman, Oxford, U. K.
Banning cluster bombs, more clearly still the ban on the mines, are in reality policies to deny the right to self-defense from the small and poor countries. The mines are an effective defense of their own territory on which they are placed - against a criminal aggressor coming over the frontier.
Penttijuhani, Copenhagen, Denmark
Hope we all will sign treaty one day. It`s a shame to keep such a vicious weapon in our hands.
Peter, Vladivostok, Russia