Hon MARIAN HOBBS (Labour—Wellington Central) Link to this
I move, That this House—
acknowledge the unacceptable toll on civilian lives caused by cluster munitions, and the lasting legacy of these weapons in postwar situations;
denounce the indiscriminate use of cluster munitions and their use in areas where civilians are likely to suffer disproportionate casualties,
and call upon the international community to set binding standards of reliability to decrease the persistent threat to civilians caused by unexploded bomblets;
confirm that New Zealand does not currently maintain stocks of cluster munitions, has no intention to do so in the future, does not intend to produce, develop, or export these weapons, and urges its coalition partners to use such weapons only in accordance with the principles of the law of armed conflict;
call for the negotiation of a legally binding instrument to address the humanitarian concerns posed by cluster munitions;
support ratification of Protocol V of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons on Explosive Remnants of War dated 28 November 2003;
welcome the protocol’s entry into force, which will occur on 12 November 2006, as an important step towards addressing the humanitarian consequences of unexploded remnants of war;
urge maximum possible support to clear cluster munitions in post-conflict situations, and call for civilian populations to be educated about the risks associated with cluster munitions;
and support research into the impact of cluster munitions on civilians.