Nations to sign cluster munitions ban pact

OSLO, Norway, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The international treaty banning the use of cluster bombs to be signed in Oslo, Norway, will save thousands of lives, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

About 100 countries Wednesday are expected to sign the ban, the most significant arms control and humanitarian treaty in a decade, the rights organization said in a news release.

U.S. President George Bush opposed the treaty, despite support by an overwhelming majority of NATO members, said Human Rights Watch, which urged President-elect Barack Obama to sign it.

Although the United States shares "humanitarian concerns" of the nations signing the ban, "we will not be joining them," the State Department said in a statement.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions. It also commits nations to clearing affected areas within 10 years, and declaring and destroying stockpiled cluster munitions within eight years, Human Rights Watch said. It also requires help for affected nations with clearance, and provides comprehensive assistance to victims of the weapons.

The treaty will go into effect after 30 nations sign and ratify it.

Cluster munitions can be fired by artillery and rocket systems, or dropped by aircraft. They usually explode in the air, scattering dozens and possibly hundreds of bomblets over the target area.

The treaty "constitutes a ban on most types of cluster munitions," the department said. "(Such) a general ban on cluster munitions will put the lives of our military men and women, and those of our coalition partners, at risk."