Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

I agree with that, but in terms of all international treaties and conventions, we must bring countries with us, so to speak. Ideally, the standard would be to ban various weapons, but it comes back to the matter of what does or does not constitute a cluster munition.

I accept and agree with all Members that this is a starting point and that at all international fora we will encourage all members who are not signatories to this agreement to sign, adopt and implement the convention. Ireland, as a country which chaired the negotiations, will be a strong advocate for that. I assure Members that at international fora the definition will be something that will be only accepted as a starting point. If it can be improved on in years to come, that is something to which we would aspire.

A point was made about what would be acceptable or unacceptable levels of violence. I accept that on any terms of principle or morality, there can be no such thing as an acceptable level of violence. Throughout the Troubles when I was a young student I argued passionately that there could not be at a political level any political theology that accepted any acceptable level of violence in Northern Ireland. The ultimate negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement and the implementation of it have vindicated the political position that this was not acceptable.

The term here is not meant in respect of indiscriminate attacks. What the country sought to do in the negotiations was to ban cluster munitions whose use could be directed at specific military objectives in accordance with the general rules of humanitarian law. That is what we are trying to do in the Bill.

I accept the points made by all Members. They will be used to inform our position on the ratification of the convention and our advocacy role in ensuring all countries ratify it quickly to allow it come into operation, and to ensure countries that are not signatories become signatories in future. Ireland has a possibility of playing a lead role in this area.