Canada signs treaty banning cluster bombs

OTTAWA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Canada announced Wednesday it has signed into an international treaty to ban cluster bombs and called on more countries to follow suit.

Canadian Ambassador to Norway Jillian Stirk signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions Wednesday on behalf of Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, Cannon said in a news release.

The convention bans members from using, stockpiling, producing or transferring cluster weapons, small explosives which are designed to cover a large area in a short period of time and are particularly dangerous to civilians and children, long after periods of conflict.

"This convention is a significant achievement," Cannon said, promising that Canada will work closely with other nations in the convention, the United Nations, Red Cross and others to "rid the world of cluster munitions, and as far as possible repair the shattered lives of people who have suffered because of them."

The treaty was initiated by Norway, who was the first to sign on, followed by Laos and Lebanon. More than 100 countries are expected to sign over Dec. 3-4.

"In Canada's view, the Convention on Cluster Munitions strikes an appropriate balance between humanitarian and security considerations. It establishes the highest international humanitarian standards with respect to cluster munitions, while allowing its signatories to continue to engage in combined security operations with allies that have not signed," Cannon said in the release.