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Conventional Weapons Conference

Volume 454: debated on Wednesday 6 December 2006

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the outcome was of the review conference on the convention on certain conventional weapons; and if he will make a statement. (107817)

Review conference discussions were dominated by cluster munitions and anti-vehicle mines. Prior to the conference the Government announced plans to withdraw ‘dumb’ cluster munitions from service by the middle of the next decade and called on others to do likewise. We succeeded in getting agreement to urgent expert discussions on the humanitarian impact of these weapons—an essential step toward negotiating a legally binding instrument on their use. No such agreement was possible on anti-vehicle mines. The UK therefore announced that it will, over time, introduce measures to reduce the humanitarian impact of these mines.