Thursday, 17 November 2011 - Strasbourg
Explanations of vote:
Motion for a resolution B7-0588/2011
Pino Arlacchi (S&D ), in writing . − I voted for this resolution because our Parliament must take a clear position against the use of cluster munitions. With this text we call on the Council and the Commission to include the ban on cluster munitions as a standard clause in agreements with third countries.
Cluster munitions represent serious risks to civilians and, in post-conflict settings, the use of these munitions has caused many tragic injuries to, and deaths of, civilians. As we unfortunately know, unexploded sub-munitions left behind are often found by children and other unsuspecting innocents. For this reason, Member States should not endorse the draft text of Protocol VI on Cluster Munitions to the Convention on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons. This draft protocol would only ban pre-1980 cluster munitions and threatens to undermine the clear and robust international humanitarian law standard established by the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), ratified by 22 EU Member States, which comprehensively bans cluster munitions.
[source:www.europarl.europa.eu]
