The Government decided today to extend a moratorium on the type of cluster munitions stockpiled in Norway. The Norwegian moratorium is important in itself, but it is also important in terms of giving Norway the necessary international credibility now that the Government has decided to work for a ban on cluster munitions that cause great humanitarian suffering.

“Norway is prepared to take a leading role in order to speed up the efforts to achieve an international ban on cluster munitions. Now we must pursue our efforts along another track. We have noted that UN agencies, Norwegian and international humanitarian organisations and other interested countries expect Norway to take the lead in this,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

“We mustn’t have any illusions about the path to an international ban being an easy one, but we can’t let this keep us from doing our part,” he said.

The aim is an international ban against the types of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable humanitarian harm. This is important both for humanitarian reasons and in order to facilitate reconstruction and development. The use of this type of munitions must be stopped before it becomes even more extensive, with all the unforeseeable consequences this could have.

The war in Lebanon this summer demonstrated the unacceptable humanitarian consequences associated with the use of cluster munitions. These munitions have also been used in Iraq and the Balkans, and in countries such as Laos and Cambodia.

Norway will now take the initiative vis-à-vis like-minded countries and other cooperation partners such as the UN, the Red Cross movement and other humanitarian actors to start a negotiating process.