U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for urgent action against cluster bombs.
In a statement released by his spokesperson, Ban said he is watching closely the international community's efforts to address the issue of cluster munitions.
"I have on several occasions made known my views that the inhumane impact of these weapons requires urgent action," he said on the occasion of the Vienna Meeting on Cluster Munitions.
Ban noted that he has urged member states to prohibit cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians, and to take domestic measures to freeze the use and transfer of all cluster munitions until a new legal instrument is adopted.
"I very much hope that all efforts to deal decisively with this issue will intensify over the year ahead," he said. "Member states gathering in Vienna at the beginning of December will have an opportunity to give further impetus towards the success of these efforts, and I wish them well."
"These are high humanitarian, human rights and developmental stakes," the U.N. chief concluded.
The Vienna Conference on Cluster Munitions is to be held from Wednesday to Friday in Vienna, Austria. It is the third in the series of Global Conferences in the process, following up from Oslo and Lima.
Source: Xinhua
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