Lithuanian MPs vote to quit convention on cluster munitions
by AFP Staff Writers
Vilnius (AFP) July 18, 2024

Lithuania's parliament on Thursday voted for the Baltic state to withdraw from an international treaty against cluster munitions, a move attributed to security reasons by the NATO member and decried by campaigners.

The bill, which still requires the president's signature, would end Lithuania's participation in the Oslo convention prohibiting the use, transfer, production and storage of cluster bombs.

The munitions can be dropped by aircraft or fired by artillery before exploding in mid-air and dispersing mini-bombs over a wide area.

They also pose a lasting threat because many of them do not explode upon impact, thus acting like landmines that can be triggered years later.

Deputy Defence Minister , who proposed the legislation, previously told lawmakers that the security situation had changed "significantly" since Lithuania's ratification of the convention in 2011.

"Russia's war against Ukraine shows that it is extremely difficult to effectively substitute cluster munitions and their defensive power to stop a large-scale attack," Pleskys said.

"By replacing standard munitions with cluster munitions, the amount of munitions needed to achieve the same effect is significantly reduced."

Pleskys added that being a member of the convention also created obstacles to training in Lithuania of NATO allies who do use cluster munitions.

Both Russia and Ukraine have used cluster munitions since Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbour in February 2022.

To date, 124 states have joined the convention, including 24 NATO members and 21 European Union members but not the United States.

Lithuania and Norway are the only NATO members bordering Russia that are parties to the convention.

"It is not wise to adhere to a convention that is not respected by a major geopolitical adversary," Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas told reporters on Thursday.

"We are correcting this mistake," he said, adding that "cluster munitions are very effective in combat" and can compensate for a shortage of ammunition "to a great extent".

Handicap International denounced Lithuania's decision as a "major setback" for human rights and civilian protection and noted that no signatory had ever pulled out of the convention.

The International Committee of the Red Cross described the move as a "concerning precedent" while the Cluster Munition Coalition said on social media that it was "a hasty decision... with long-term, grave consequences".

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