Government & Politics
Malta signs up to process to ban cluster bombs
By MaltaMedia News
Feb 25, 2007 - 10:58:51 AM

Malta is among 46 nations that signed up to a new international process to ban cluster ina bid to protect civilians from their impact. Cluster bombs have been used in at least 23 countries and have caused excessive harm to civilians for over 40 years.

Negotiations on the text of the treaty will happen in a series of meetings in Peru, Austria and Ireland during 2007 and early 2008. The signing up took place in a conference held between Thursday and Friday at Soria Moria in Oslo, Norway.

The nations that have signed up to the declaration include Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Only Japan, Romania and Poland refused to sign up, said Reuters.

The next meeting in the new process will take place in Lima, Peru between the 23rd and 25th May 2007.