Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

The international diplomatic conference on cluster munitions will take place in Croke Park from 19 May. We were in a similar position on the Ottawa Convention on the banning of landmines. Ireland and Norway saved a strong text for that convention by publishing legislation prior to the conference. Separate legislation has been produced by Belgium and Austria on the banning of cluster munitions.

The programme for Government contains a clear commitment to ban outright all forms of cluster munitions. The Minister for Foreign Affairs recently stated he proposes to establish a committee on humanitarian law which would respond to whatever convention emerges in May. The lesson is that it would be hugely important if, as part of the core group that chairs the conference, we follow the example we had in 1996-97. The Ottawa Convention banning landmines was concluded in 1997. We published our legislation in 1996 and it was the defining text because it was strong. If we choose instead to implement the commitment in the programme for Government by establishing a committee that will respond to a convention, we should be careful. Countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France are in favour of a weak text. We can influence this.

As we send troops abroad, for example, on peacekeeping and peace-building missions, it is important that our convention is sufficiently strong to prevent Irish troops from participating with armies and forces that do not have a complete ban on cluster weapons, given the incredible and multi-generational damage to civilians that results from their use.

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