The United States will review an
international ban on cluster bombs adopted by more than 100 countries in Dublin
on Friday but signalled it has no intention of removing the weapons from its
arsenal.
"Certainly the US military perspective on these weapons and their
continued necessity for US troops hasn't been changed by the discussions"
in Dublin, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.
The United States and a handful of other powers did not participate in the
two-week conference hosted by the Irish government and have no intention of
signing on to the treaty when it is formally signed in Oslo in December.
The United States, Israel, China, Russia, India and Pakistan stayed away from
the conference.
The United States believes the weapons are essential in conventional warfare
for attacking large groups of enemy soldiers.
Cluster bombs are munitions that drop hundreds of tennis-ball sized smaller
explosives known as "bomblets," which scatter and detonate across the
battlefield.
But some of the bomblets fail to explode and for years after a conflict has
ended can continue to pose a threat to civilians, especially children who often
mistake the munitions for toys.
The 111 countries that joined the ban agreed to stop producing and selling the
munitions and stop storing them. In a concession to Washington, NATO countries
insisted on a clause that allows them to participate in military operations
with countries not adhering to the prohibition.
The United States, meanwhile, has designed a more advanced version of the
cluster bomb that uses electronic timers to ensure that bomblets either explode
as intended or self-destruct to prevent harm to civilians.
The most recent reported use of cluster bombs was during the July-August 2006
Israeli incursion into Lebanon. Israel was heavily criticized for dropping such
munitions in civilian areas.
The United States last used the weapons during the 2003 invasion of Iraq but
not since because they don't apply well against insurgencies, but rather in
traditional military campaigns against amassed troop formations, dpa reported.
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