Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I compliment Deputy Timmins on having the heart and the guts to bring this Bill before the Dáil. People might say we have more important matters to consider but this is a very serious issue. I call on the Minister to accept the Bill given that on 13 December 2007 the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs called for the Government to introduce legislation to deal with cluster bombs. The late Princess Diana was one of the people who led the campaign on cluster munitions. The devastation wrought by these weapons is outrageous.

Cluster bombs were used in Iraq. God help the people of that country because the ammunition used against them is not known. We were told they had weapons of mass destruction but some of them did not even have a loaf of bread to feed themselves or keep themselves alive. We listened to propaganda from governments that should have known better. To this day, no weapons of mass destruction were found. The only destruction that has been found were the dead bodies buried by Saddam Hussein. Governments knew what was happening in that country and its dictator should and could have been taken out. We did not need to kill so many thousands of people in Iraq. Dictators were removed in other countries and the dictator in Iraq could have been similarly treated. It is wrong that any civilised government or army would use this kind of weapon to kill people. As Deputy Timmins said, young children walking and playing often pick up these brightly coloured bombs and end up without an arm or leg and in some cases are killed. It is time these weapons were taken out of existence. The Government has a very important part to play. We do not know whether Deputy Dermot Ahern will be Minister for Foreign Affairs next week or whether he will be Minister for Finance or Tánaiste. However, we call on him to use his influence and that of the Government to ensure these bombs are taken out of existence so young children and innocent people will not be murdered in future. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, under the chairmanship of Deputy Michael Woods, has called for this.

I again compliment Deputy Timmins for bringing this important and timely motion to the House. I wish our troops in Chad the very best of luck. It is a dangerous mission and I hope every single one of them who goes there will come back safely. I know they will do this country proud, as they have done in the past. Deputy Timmins did this country proud. He served his country abroad and he knows what he is taking about.

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