Diplomats from around the world are gathering in Dublin for a conference that aims to secure a treaty banning the use of cluster bombs.
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Humanitarian organisations say a binding treaty is now urgent because these weapons cause unacceptable harm to civilians.
But some of the biggest producers of cluster weapons, including the US, China and Russia, are against the move.
On the eve of the conference, Pope Benedict XVI expressed hopes that "it will be possible to reach a strong and credible international agreement".
"It is necessary to heal the errors of the past and avoid them happening again in the future. I pray for the victims of the cluster munitions, for their families and for those who will join the conference too, wishing that it will be successful," the pontiff said.
'Essential' treaty
Cluster bombs have been used from Cambodia to Kosovo, from Afghanistan to Lebanon.
The initial weapon scatters thousands of smaller bombs across a wide area, and all too often, these bomblets fail to explode, leaving a deadly legacy as civilians return to their homes.
Humanitarian groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, see the daily consequences of cluster munitions among the wounded civilians they treat.
They argue that a comprehensive and binding treaty - one that includes provision for compensation for victims - is essential.
"Cluster munitions are weapons that never stop killing," said ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger.
But some of the biggest producers and stockpilers of cluster weapons - the US, China, Russia, India and Israel - are against the ban, claiming such munitions can be useful on the battlefield.
Although they will not be present in Dublin, they have been lobbying to have the treaty watered down.
If, as expected, the conference does come to agreement, it will be the most important disarmament treaty since the Ottawa convention to prohibit landmines over 10 years ago, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes says.
(BBC)
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