Norway condemns use of cluster munitions in Ukraine

According to the OSCE report, it has been established that cluster munitions have been used in an attack on the city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

Norway played an active role in negotiating the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the international treaty that prohibits all use of cluster munitions. A total of 116 states have now joined the Convention, which was adopted in 2008. However, neither Ukraine nor Russia have done so.

‘I urge all parties to the conflict in eastern Ukraine to make a clear commitment to refrain from all use of cluster munitions. Munitions of this kind have wide area effects and do not distinguish between military targets and civilians. They leave behind unexploded ordnance, which often remains in the area for many years, posing a serious threat to children and the civilian population in general. Most countries in the world have prohibited the use of these weapons. Norway urges all states to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions,’ said Mr Pedersen.