Political Minefields

Human Rights Watch today called on countries in the Middle East and North Africa to sign the Cluster Munition Convention. So far only Lebanon, which has a significant cluster bomb contamination problem, and Tunisia have signed the treaty.

“Lebanon and Tunisia have recognized how important it is to free the world of these deadly weapons,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch. “No Arab state has used cluster bombs in the past 15 years, and they now should promise never to do so in the future and join this treaty.”

Several countries in the region besides Lebanon have suffered the impact of cluster bombs, including Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Western Sahara.

~ by Matthew Bolton on 26 January 2009.

Posted in Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Western Sahara
Tags: cluster bombs, Cluster Munition Convention, cluster munitions, Cluster Munitions Convention, Human Rights Watch, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Middle East, North Africa, Sarah Leah Whitson, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Western Sahara