International ban on cluster munitions

“In keeping with its policy platform, the Government took the initiative for a ban on cluster munitions a year and a half ago. I am delighted to see that we already seem to have a ban in place,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

“This is a historic moment. If this treaty is formally adopted on Friday, we will have achieved an international ban on cluster munitions. This is a victory for international humanitarian law. We have negotiated a strong and comprehensive text. The ban will cover cluster munitions that have unacceptable humanitarian consequences, which in practice means that all cluster munitions that have been used in war to date will now be prohibited. This means, for example, that Norway will have to destroy its stockpiles of cluster munitions,” said Mr Støre.

“Norway and Ireland have both played an important proactive role this process. I had a constructive meeting with my Irish colleague in Dublin today. We discussed the way forward towards Oslo, where the treaty will be signed on 3 December this year. The next step is to get as many states as possible to join. This will be a task for both governments and civil society in the run-up to the conference in Oslo in December,” said the Foreign Minister.

“I have also had a meeting with representatives from the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), the UN and the International Red Cross movement today. They have done a tremendous job in this process, together with the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry. Once more the broad alliance between governments and civil society has demonstrated its strength, as we saw in the efforts to achieve the Mine Ban Convention in 1997. Today I would like to thank them for their effort, their unique knowledge and their field expertise. They deserve much of the credit for this triumph. I would also like to thank the Norwegian delegation for its tireless efforts from day one. I am very proud of them,” said Foreign Minister Støre.