Cambodia Still Undecided About Signing Cluster Munitions Treaty
Despite being one of the earliest proponents of the U.N.-sponsored Convention on Cluster Munitions, Cambodia was still not ready to sign on, an official said on the eve of the fourth annual meeting of state parties to the treaty in Zambia. Heng Ratana, director-general of the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC), said the government was still assessing the pros and cons of joining. “They need to assess their military capacity…the advantages and effects,” he said. Mr. Ratana said he did not know how far along the government was with its assessment, though, and that the work rested mostly with the Ministry of Defense. ... Though the government has consistently pledged to join the convention, it has offered a few reasons for its delay, including the need for more time to take inventory of its stock of the weapons and security concerns along its border with Thailand, which is not a state party either. The Cambodian Mine Action Authority, which oversees CMAC and most of the government’s demining activities, usually sends representatives to the convention’s state party meetings as observers. The authority’s press officer, Neth Sophal, said he did not know if they were sending someone to this year’s meeting in Zambia—which runs Monday to Friday—or whether Cambodia was any closer to joining. ... Campaigners say joining the convention could attract more international funding to Cambodia for cluster bomb clearing activities. Others say the additional aid would most likely come from a reduction in funding for other demining activities already underway.
Zsombor Peter
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/cambodia-still-undecided-about-signing-cluster-munitions-treaty-41918/
