Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 59: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will clarify his position and subsequent vote at the cluster munitions talks in Geneva November 2011; and the way he sees the process developing from here. [10120/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Fourth Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) took place in Geneva from 14-25 November 2011. The main item for discussion was the draft of a possible Protocol VI to the Convention relating to cluster munitions. Ireland's position on a possible Protocol VI was clearly expressed at the Review Conference and at the meetings of the Group of Governmental Experts in advance of the Conference. We saw value in an instrument that would impose strong and binding legal commitments on states not currently in a position to become party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions that currently possess and/or produce such munitions. We were prepared to negotiate in good faith on an instrument that would be compatible with and complementary to the Convention on Cluster Munitions agreed in Dublin under our chairmanship in 2008 which would add value and make a difference in reducing civilian casualties in future armed conflicts. We would only have acceded to such an instrument if these conditions were met.

My officials worked hard with a group of like-minded states to improve the text of the draft under discussion in Geneva. However, it did not prove possible to reach consensus on the draft and no vote was taken.

It is not likely that negotiations on a Protocol on Cluster Munitions will resume in the CCW framework in the immediate future. Ireland will continue to promote the full implementation and universalisation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and looks forward to the fulfilment of our role, in conjunction with the Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic, as the Convention's Co-ordinator on Clearance.