Finnish cluster weapon purchases raise criticism among NGOs meeting in Peru

Organisations urge countries to show their weapons are safe

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Finland's purchases of cluster weapons have been criticised by various non-governmental organisations in Peru, where talks on a treaty on limiting the use of such weapons began on Wednesday.
     
The governments of about 70 countries, including Finland, are holding discussions on a treaty. Before the conference, NGOs from about 30 different countries pondered their guidelines for such an agreement.
      Cluster weapons coordinator Markus Peltola, who is representing Finnish organisations at the meeting, says that Finland's decisions to acquire more such weapons have raised questions among the other groups. Finland has acquired, and plans to acquire more of the same kinds of weapons, with self-destruct mechanism, that have caused problems in Lebanon.
      The Finnish Defence Forces say that the weapons function well. In Norway, the same model is banned because it is seen as unreliable.
     
"In the view of most NGOs it is incompatible with the Finnish government's image of being a responsible government, that Finland is planning to acquire more cluster weapons", says Peltola of the Civil Society Conflict Prevention Network (KATU).
      The Finnish government recently decided that the problems caused by cluster weapons should be reduced, but it was not in favour of a complete ban.
      The NGOs are urging countries that acquire cluster weapons to show that they do not cause unreasonable harm to civilians. The weapons cannot be said to be harmless on the basis of claims, or test results that come from the manufacturers, because the circumstances of the tests differ from the situations in which the weapons would be used, say the groups in a statement issued on Tuesday.
     
The NGOs say that the treaty must not exclude weapons that have a self-destruction mechanism, because the mechanisms are not sufficiently reliable. The organisations say that there are alternatives to the cluster weapons.
      Some of the NGOs, and some countries involved in the negotiations are in favour of a complete ban on the weapons, while others would permit certain types of cluster weapons.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Defence Ministry official says replacing cluster weapons would be expensive (23.5.2007)
  Government: Finland does not endorse total ban of cluster weapons (14.5.2007)
  Cluster shell acquired by Finland banned in Norway (9.3.2007)
  Brigadier General Räty: Finland will not get cluster bombs that linger in terrain (23.2.2007)

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