By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news stass

Two European countries, Belgium and Austria, are soliciting the support of Palau to support the ongoing campaign for an international ban on cluster munitions.
This is according to a recent communication letter from the leadership of the upper chambers of Congress in those two nations.
The letter dated April 19 was addressed to then House of Delegates Speaker Augustine Mesebeluu and jointly signed signed by Anne-Martie Lizin, President of the Senate of Belgium, and Barbara Prammer, President of the Nationalrat of Austria.
"Images of the destruction caused by these weapons in Lebanon last year are still vivid in everybody’s memory. However, cluster munitions (air-dropped or ground-launched shells ejecting multiple explosive submunitions) have caused unacceptable human suffering over the past four decades, including in South-East Asia, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq," the two European lawmakers said in their letter.
They explained that although these cluster munitions were originally designed for the battlefield, they have frequently been used in proximity to civilian populations.
"Because of their wide dispersal pattern and the large number of submunitions that remain unexploded, their destructive impact on civilians, both at the time of their use and for many years afterwards, far outweighs their possible military usefulness."
They said that in this respect, these cluster munitions are quite similar in their effects to antipersonnel mines.
It was three months ago (Feb 22-23) that an important step in the process that could lead to a global ban on cluster munitions was held at the Oslo Conference.
A total of 46 out of 49 participating-countries committed themselves to conclude by 2008 a legally binding international agreement that would effectively address the humanitarian problems posed by cluster munitions.
"It is important that as many countries as possible join this initiative, so that we will soon have an instrument on cluster munitions as successful as the Ottawa Convention on antipersonnel mines has proved to be," Lizin and Prammer said in their joint message to the HOD.
They said that parliaments could play a crucial role here by encouraging their government to take part in the follow-up meetings to the Oslo Conference and in the negotiations on draft convention.
"Parliaments can also take the lead in ensuring that action is taken at the national level, as we have seen in our own two countries. In Belgium, a parliamentary initiative led to the adoption of legislation banning cluster munitions as well as their financing."
In Austria, parliament adopted a resolution prompting the government to take up a firm stance on these weapons, which led to the establishment of a moratorium.
"As women and parliamentarians, we acre deeply about the human suffering caused by cluster munitions. At the third annual meeting of women speakers of parliament that was held at the United Nations in New York on March 2, 2007, we launched an appeal- together with our colleagues from the Senate of Colombia, Ms Dilian Francisco Toro and from the Swiss national Council, Ms Christine Egerszegi-Obrist, to support the campaign…"