Cluster-bomb survivors speak out

Survivors of cluster bombs will speak out today on whether an international conference to outlaw the weapons will make a difference to affected communities on the ground.

A week into negotiations to ban cluster bombs, the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) will report on the Dublin Diplomatic Conference.

People from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Serbia, Tajikistan and Vietnam will share their thoughts on the controversial weapons.

The US position on cluster bombs will also be analysed by Nobel Prize Laureate Jody Williams, Steve Goose from Human Rights Watch and landmine survivor Ken Rutherford who hosted Princess Diana in Bosnia in 1997.

Senator Patrick Leahy, who introduced an amendment restricting the use of cluster munitions in the American Senate on March 29 2007, will join the discussion.

Delegates from 109 countries are aiming to reach agreement to outlaw the weapons during the 12-day summit taking place in Croke Park.

The event is the culmination of a series of international gatherings aiming to agree a text for a historic treaty banning the production and use of cluster bombs.