An agreement banning cluster bombs has cheered human rights campaigners, but powerful military states are refusing to join it and experts say the treaty is riddled with holes and could prove unworkable. The agreement commits 111 countries to banning the use of cluster munitions.
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/ 18 February 2008
A key conference on cluster bombs began in Wellington on Monday with more than 100 countries expected to decide whether to formally back a treaty banning the controversial weapons. The five-day conference is one of a series held as part of a Norwegian initiative launched in February last year.