Latest news with #ConventiononClusterMunitions
The National
25-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Britain urged to join allies in pulling out of landmine treaty
Britain has been urged to withdraw from the key landmine and cluster bomb treaties to counter the deteriorating global security situation, former defence secretary Ben Wallace has said. With Russia's military might growing and the US disengaging from Nato, Mr Wallace said that unless the treaties were updated, 'we must leave them'. A key driver argued in a paper published by the Policy Exchange think tank was the growing threat of Russia invading Eastern Europe after its aggression against Ukraine. Cluster bombs and landmines are estimated to have caused more than 300,000 Russian casualties, preventing them from taking more territory. Now with several Eastern European countries indicating that they will withdraw from the treaties, this could create a 'domino effect' across the continent, the paper said. But global de-mining charities warned that more people would die as a result of any treaty withdrawal and that the tactical use of anti-personnel mines was outweighed by the civilian harm they caused. With Africa, Afghanistan and South-East Asia particularly affected by decades of landmines being sown during the Cold War, their legacy has caused countless civilian deaths and traumatic injuries. As a result, in 1997 the Ottawa Treaty was agreed to by 133 states, banning the use of anti-personnel mines. Cluster bombs, which are made up of a single device spreading about 100 bomblets over an area of several football pitches, were also banned in 2008 in the Convention on Cluster Munitions. But 'a lot has changed' since then, said Mr Wallace, who was defence secretary during Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He had first-hand experience of how the Ottawa Treaty prevented Britain and other allies supplying Ukraine with important munitions. 'I was beset by lawyers applying old and out of date treaties to new capabilities which are vital to saving life and countering Russian lethality,' he said in a foreword to the paper. The bans had become 'tools for our adversaries to use to their advantage' and unless the treaties were 'updated to reflect modern security imperatives, we must leave them'. That intent has already been indicated by Poland, Finland and the Baltic States stating their desire to withdraw. 'Are we now going to see a domino effect over the next few months against the backdrop of a deteriorating security situation on Europe's eastern flank?' the Policy Exchange paper asked. But given the global insecurity, the British government should urgently consider joining them to lead a more co-ordinated change that would act as a significant deterrent to Russia, it said. More pressingly, with America now disengaging with Europe and Russia's military power base expanding, 'decisive action' was needed to increase stockpiles of the 'critical weapons'. Cluster bombs and landmines, which can remain in place for years after the fighting has finished, are highly effective defensive weapons to deter invasion and wear down an invading force, as demonstrated by Ukraine. With divergence in the Nato alliance coming to a head under US President Donald Trump and the security of US military might no longer guaranteed, Europe could be fatally undermined in its ability to defend itself. Modern warfare had also demonstrated the ease with which mines could be planted, with drones or missiles able to bury them behind enemy formations to hamper a retreat. This had allowed Ukraine 'to cede ground slowly while exacting a disproportionate cost to the attacker'. Therefore, in any future war with Russia the arms would be 'crucial weapons', especially with cluster munitions able to the job of several artillery shells or rockets, the paper said. Cluster bombs could halt a fast-moving Russian offensive with their ability to 'saturate and destroy' concentrated armoured forces. The current agreements restricted Europe's defences therefore the British government should 'urgently lay the legal framework to withdraw from both treaties' that will help them 'actually fight and win a war with Russia", the paper concluded. The Mine Action Group, a de-mining organisation, told The National that experience showed the 'tactical utility of anti-personnel mines is outweighed by the civilian harm they cause', something it witnesses daily. 'We recognise that there are no easy choices for states that feel under threat of armed aggression, but international humanitarian law is designed precisely for times like these, when people are in the gravest danger and the risk of conflict is at its highest,' a spokesman said. The Halo Trust, which has removed millions of mines around the world, said it understood 'the deadly nature of landmines better than most' and the treaty had been 'instrumental in saving millions of people's lives'. But it also recognised that the invasion of Ukraine 'has created a new reality for the defence of Eastern Europe'.
Saba Yemen
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Lithuania officially withdraws from Convention on Cluster Munitions Prohibition
Linus - Saba: Lithuania officially withdrew today, Thursday, from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Production, Use and Stockpiling of Cluster Munitions. The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that "Lithuania's withdrawal from the Convention on Cluster Munitions has become legally effective." The Lithuanian Parliament, the "Seim," voted in July 2024 to end Vilnius' participation in this convention. In the fall of the same year, Lithuania notified the United Nations of its decision to end its membership in the convention. Since then, the countdown has begun for the expiration of the six-month period until the decision enters into force, and this officially happened today, March 6. Lithuania is also considering the possibility of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel mines. Officials in Vilnius believe that this withdrawal could be carried out collectively by all countries on NATO's eastern flank, or jointly by alliance members that share borders with Russia and Belarus. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
See - Sada Elbalad
06-03-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Lithuania Withdraws from Cluster Munitions Ban
Israa Farhan Lithuania's decision to withdraw from the Convention on Cluster Munitions has officially come into legal effect as of Thursday. The country is no longer bound by the international treaty that prohibits the production, use, and stockpiling of cluster bombs, marking a significant shift in its defense policy. The Lithuanian Parliament, known as the Seimas, voted in favor of leaving the treaty in July 2024. Later that year, the government formally notified the United Nations of its intention to exit the agreement. Following a six-month waiting period, the withdrawal became legally binding on March 6, 2025. Lithuania is also considering pulling out of the Ottawa Treaty, which bans anti-personnel landmines. Officials in Vilnius have suggested that this move could be coordinated with other NATO member states along the alliance's eastern flank, particularly those sharing borders with Russia and Belarus.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lithuania exits Convention on Cluster Munitions
Lithuania formally withdrew on March 6 from the Convention on Cluster Munitions, an international treaty that bans the production and distribution of this controversial weaponry. The Lithuanian parliament voted to exit the treaty last July, leading to Vilnius submitting documents for withdrawal in the autumn of that year. The six-month deadline for leaving the convention expired on March 6. Cluster munitions, weapons that disperse hundreds of smaller "bomblets" in a wide area upon impact, have seen extensive use during Russia's all-out war against Ukraine. Russian forces have repeatedly deployed this weapon in civilian areas. The U.S. began providing Ukraine with cluster munitions in the summer of 2023, provided they are used outside of populated zones against Russian forces in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. are not parties to the convention, which includes over 110 countries worldwide. The weaponry is seen as posing a risk to civilians as some of the bomblets often fail to explode, presenting danger to local populations for years after the war. Lithuania, which lies at NATO's eastern flank and borders Russia's ally Belarus and the heavily armed exclave of Kaliningrad, argued that it requires all possible means to deter potential aggression, especially since Russia uses the weaponry as well, the LRT broadcaster reported. Lithuanian officials pledged to minimize potential risks by implementing algorithms that would prevent the munitions from failing to detonate. The Baltic country is also examining alternatives to cluster munitions but sees the withdrawal from the treaty as a strategic message to potential opponents. Vilnius is also mulling a withdrawal from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines. "I think that we will have the final decision in the spring," Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene said regarding the treaty on land mines. Read also: Trump's alignment with Russia derails Europe's push for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Walkouts on global disarmament treaties
Lithuania will become the first country in the European Union to officially leave a multilateral arms regulation agreement when it withdraws on March 6 from the international treaty prohibiting the use of cluster munitions, citing a heightened security threat. Since the United Nations was created 80 years ago there have been just five formal withdrawals from such multilateral treaties, but three of those -- all by Russia -- have come since 2021, according to an AFP analysis of the UN disarmament office registry. Lithuania's controversial move comes at a time of heightened tensions in international relations over its neighbour Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with several countries criticising disarmament treaties. Here is a summary of some key arms treaties and which countries have abandoned them. - Cluster munitions - Before Lithuania's move planned on Thursday, no country had pulled out of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, nor from the other four humanitarian disarmament treaties. Cluster munitions can be dropped from planes or fired from artillery, exploding in mid-air and scattering bomblets over a wide area -- effectively acting as landmines that can go off years later. Lithuania had signed and ratified the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2011, committing to eliminate the weapons from its arsenal, and ceasing to produce or sell them. But on September 6, 2024, it officially announced its withdrawal, citing "the evolving regional security dynamics and geopolitical threats". The current security environment, it said, "necessitates maintaining a full spectrum of defensive tools, including cluster munitions, to ensure national security and protect our citizens". Neither Russia nor Ukraine, which use cluster munitions in the war that began in 2022, are among the 111 remaining parties to this treaty. The United States, Iran, Israel, and the two Koreas are not signatories either. - Russia and US - In November 2023, a year into its war with Ukraine, Russia raised global alarm with two major walkouts from international treaties. It revoked its ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which limits the deployment of troops and equipment from the Atlantic to the Urals. Moscow had already in 2021 quit the Open Skies treaty, which allows states to conduct planned observation flights over the territory of other countries. The United States had also left that treaty in 2020 during the first term of President Donald Trump. - Bilateral accords - Among other withdrawals from bilateral accords, the United States in 2002 left the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, prompting the end of that agreement with Russia. In 2019, the two powers also withdrew from the landmark 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty which limited the use of medium-range missiles, both conventional and nuclear. The last remaining strategic arms control agreement between Russia and the United States -- the New START Treaty -- is set to expire in February 2026. Without any renewal there will be no nuclear arms control structure in place between the former Cold War rivals for the first time since 1972. - North Korea - North Korea declared its withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 2003, but it is still listed as an official signatory. Pyongyang did not comply with the three-month notice period required in the text, so its announcement was not considered an official withdrawal. lam-eab/rlp/fox
