Norway has launched a new drive for treaty banning Cluster Munitions

[acmejack]

The BBC is reporting that Norway has launched a single handed initiate to bring the Countries to the table to discuss a plan to shelve the cruel weapons which the US continues to manufacture, deploy, use and distribute throughout their world to it's allies. This despite the universally condemned high rate of mortality to noncombatants, especially children.

snip>

Norway is pushing for an international meeting on cluster bombs that it hopes will lead to a worldwide treaty restricting the use of the munitions.

The move follows the failure of a United Nations conference to agree any curbs on cluster weapons.

Oslo says it will now invite countries to work outside the UN system to agree a ban modeled on the Ottawa Convention restricting the use of landmines.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6158806.stm

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Cluster Bombs, But Were Afraid To Ask...

[Tom Joad]

1. One Million Israeli cluster bombs in Lebanon = war crime - US taxpayer

supported.
It was, as a Israeli military general said, a monstrous thing to do.

These weapons should not be used. Period.

They have also been used in Iraq, in the US aggression against that country.

[mom cat]

2. Hope they work to ban depleted uraniun also;

[karynnj]

3. Congratulations to Norway!!!

The number of innocent people killed by these bombs far after they are dropped aloe makes them unethical.

The Feinstein amendment would have banned them. Here is who voted each way. Note the potential 2008 candidates obviously think that America is for them. Kerry and Obama voted for it. Biden, Clinton, Dodd, McCain, Hagel, Brownback all voted against it.

Grouped By Vote Position YEAs ---30
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dayton (D-MN)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---70
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Chafee (R-RI)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Inouye (D-HI)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Santorum (R-PA)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (

[nealmhughes]

4. Glad you posted the list, saved me the time to look up the link.

Here is my take on it anyhow:

http://screechingrats.wordpress.com/2006/09/09/suffer-the-little-children-cluster-bombs-and-the-us-senate/

[karynnj]

5. Thanks for posting this

I had never seen what they looked like - no wonder the kids pick them up. I am shocked at the reason given for voting against this amendment.

The fact that Israel (and the US) had used them does not preclude saying they should never be used again. I am extremely glad that John Kerry and Barack Obama had the morality to know they were wrong and the strength of character to vote their convictions.

[wtmusic]

6. Sounds like they're burning the midnight whale-oil on this one

Go Norway!!!

[KitSileya]

7. Which is about damn time, if you don't mind this Norwegian saying so.

Norway is one of the world's largest munitions producers per capita - I think we're the world's 7th largest, and with a population of only 4.67 million... not to mention that we produce cluster bombs, and the army keeps test firing them in army areas. It's a complete disgrace, and the fact that the red-green (left-center) government is doing something about it is, as I said, about damn time!

Yes, I am angry about Norway's role when it comes to weapons production - but the Defense Minister (who used to be mayor of the town I'm living in, not that she did a spectacularly good job) may actually have some common sense. At least she's got them investigating one of Norway's largest companies, Kværner, for having done contract work at Gitmo.