Handicap International unequivocally condemns the use of cluster munitions by Russian forces in Georgia as reported today by Human Rights Watch field researchers (www.hrw.org). The resulting loss of civilian life and injuries to non-combatants is the inevitable consequence of cluster munition use, especially in populated areas as has been reported in Georgia. The deployment of these weapons has been demonstrated to be in breach of international humanitarian law, destroying the lives of thousands of communities during the past four decades, facts that led 107 countries to agree a treaty banning their use in May this year. The Cluster Munition Treaty will be signed in Oslo on 3rd December. Both Russia and Georgia stockpile cluster munitions.

Handicap International call on both countries to cease any use of cluster munitions and on Russia to provide all relevant strike data to enable the expeditious survey and clearance of any unexploded submunitions from areas where their use has been reported.

Spokesperson on Cluster Munitions for the Handicap International Network, Rae McGrath, commented: "The use of cluster munitions always claims innocent lives and their presence in frontline weapons' stocks makes their use inevitable. Banning these indiscriminate weapons and the destruction of existing stockpiles is the only way of ensuring that they do not continue claiming the lives of non-combatants"

Handicap International calls on all countries to sign and ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions and to focus maximum resources on the clearance of existing contaminated areas and ensuring support for victims of past cluster munitions us

Contacts

Rae McGrath, International Spokesperson on Cluster Munitions (rae.mcgrath@hi-uk.org, +44 79660 30123)

Notes for editors Working in aroung 60 countries worldwide, Handicap International is an international development organisation focusing on issues around disability and inclusion. Handicap International is co-founder of the Cluster Munition Coalition and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which was awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.