Conference seeks ban on cluster bombs

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Establishing a meaningful ban on cluster bombs will get a boost from a disarmament meeting in New Zealand, officials said.

The disarmament conference in Wellington has brought together representatives from more than 120 governments, activists and cluster bomb explosion survivors, the Voice of America reported Monday.

Cluster bombs explode in the air, dropping hundreds of smaller bombs to detonate on the ground. Sometimes, however, the bombs on the ground don't detonate immediately.

Not attending the meetings are the United States, Israel, Russia and China, among the countries that are major producers of cluster munitions or have large stockpiles. Other countries, including France, Japan and Britain, have exerted diplomatic pressure to weaken the draft treaty being negotiated.

The five-day meeting in Wellington, included in the Oslo Process, is part of the run-up toward signing a global ban this year, the Voice of America reported. The Oslo Process began in 2007 with various countries agreeing to work toward a ban.

Hilde Johnson, UNICEF deputy director, opened the conference saying cluster bombs inflicted damage worldwide.

"It is absolutely terrible. It has horrendous effects," Johnson said. "Cluster bombs of this nature have been dropped and are in over 25 countries around the world."