Chris Andrews (Dublin South East, Fianna Fail)

The broad support to which I refer was inspired by the successful campaign against the use of landmines. The convention on cluster bombs will be every bit as successful.

It is important to remember that national co-operation is vital to the achievement of international co-operation. It is only with the latter that we can make some lasting improvements to the quality of life of those in war-torn areas whose lives have been so badly affected.

As previous speakers indicated, Ireland is playing a leading role in international efforts to negotiate the convention on cluster bombs. I congratulate the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, and his Department on all they have done to date. Their Trojan work has led to the holding of the conference to which reference has been made in Dublin in May. That conference will create a huge amount of goodwill among the international community and will raise Ireland's profile. We hope it will also lead to a positive outcome. I have no doubt the latter will prove to be the case.

According to the Cluster Munitions Coalition, which is an international network, cluster munitions are stockpiled by more than 70 states. This implies that an overwhelming proportion of the world's population are affected by these weapons. Cluster munitions were first used in the Second World War. They were later used during the Vietnam War and created major difficulties in Laos. More recently, they were again used in the Israeli invasion of Lebanon during its conflict with Hizbollah. Cluster bombs are also being used on Europe's doorstep in Kosovo. I visited Kosovo last November and met a child who lost a limb as a result of a cluster bomb exploding. It was harrowing to see the damage done to that child.

Ireland's commitment to achieving its target is undisputed. The programme for Government commits us to a campaign for a complete ban on the use of cluster munitions. In the absence of a complete ban, we will seek an agreement on an immediate freeze on such munitions pending the establishment of effective international instruments to address humanitarian concerns regarding their use.

While I understand the Opposition's desire to enact domestic legislation, I support the Minister for Foreign Affairs' position that we should not prejudge or second-guess the outcome of the conference in May. We are taking a comprehensive approach to the development of the treaty and the most important thing is that we should encourage other states to become involved and support this initiative. International treaties do not come about overnight. A major amount of work is required in respect of them in the background at and on the fringes of many international conferences. Ireland is one of seven states — the others are Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Peru and the Holy See — driving the Oslo process.

We must acknowledge that while making something illegal is extremely important, it is not the sole tool by which problems can be combated. In that context, I wish to recall the words of Martin Luther King Jr., who said: "Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal". The law in itself is not enough. We must support the law by issuing a moral condemnation of the use of weapons such as those under discussion. We must also provide humanitarian and financial support.

Ireland is working in close co-operation with NGOs and UN agencies to comprehensively address issues raised by the existence of unexploded cluster bombs. I welcome the work being done in this area by the Department of Foreign Affairs on the international stage in co-operation with the NGOs. I wish the Minister every success with the diplomatic conference in May.

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