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GENEVA – A prominent human rights group says Georgia has admitted dropping cluster bombs in its military offensive to assert control over the restive province of South Ossetia.
Human Rights Watch says it has received an official letter from Georgia’s Defense Ministry that acknowledges use of the M85 cluster munition near the Roki tunnel that connects South Ossetia with Russia.
A mine expert inspects a cluster bomb with its bomblets in Lebanon. (Keystone)
The M85 is the same weapon that was used extensively by Israel in its 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
HRW arms division researcher Bonnie Docherty told reporters in Geneva that Russia undoubtedly used cluster munition in several places during the conflict. However, Russia has denied using the weapon.
(SwissInfo.com) May 29, 2008 – Switzerland has welcomed the draft treaty to ban cluster bombs adopted by more than 100 states meeting in the Irish capital, Dublin. The accord has also been hailed by the Swiss-run International Committee of the Red Cross, which described it as a major step forward for the protection of civilians.
However, the Swiss defence ministry said it regretted that the major producer countries of the bombs, including the United States, Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Israel did not attend the meeting.
The head of the Swiss delegation at the talks, Ambassador Christine Schraner, described the Dublin result as a “decisive step”. Switzerland had made “necessary concessions” and that the convention would improve international humanitarian law.
The agreement, reached after ten days of talks, outlaws the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster bombs. It also includes a commitment to remove cluster bombs from national arsenals within eight years and to provide for the welfare of cluster bomb victims.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
