Vienna, Austria, 5 December 2007  -   The third major international conference on cluster munitions opened today as more than 130 countries gathered in Vienna to discuss a ban treaty to be signed in 2008. The conference is part of the Oslo Process launched in February when states agreed to conclude a new treaty by the end of 2008 banning cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians.

"In one year we have gone from a handful of countries to two thirds of the world's nations supporting a ban. The tide has clearly turned against cluster munitions and we are confident a ban treaty will be signed in 2008," said Thomas Nash Coordinator of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC).

Over 140 civil society representatives from 50 countries launched the conference with an international forum yesterday, hosted by the Cluster Munition Coalition. States will spend the next three days discussing the draft treaty text as they meet at the midpoint of the Oslo Process.

The most contentious discussions at the conference will revolve around the prohibition and definition of a cluster munition. Some countries are calling for exemptions for certain weapons such as those with self-destruct mechanisms or for a transition period where the banned weapons could still be used. Most of the countries making such proposals are stockpilers of cluster munitions with self-destruct mechanisms, such as Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and the UK.

Further discussions will be held in Wellington in February with final negotiations in Dublin, Ireland in May and a signing ceremony in Oslo, Norway later in the year. Non-governmental organisations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and UN agencies will participate extensively throughout the process.

Building on the work of the last international conference in Lima and further work at conferences in Belgrade and Brussels, the Vienna Conference is likely also to make progress on important areas of the text such as victim assistance, clearance and stockpile destruction.

"Governments have a responsibility to protect civilians in times of conflict, the burden of proof is therefore laid squarely at their door if they want exceptions. Despite the evidence from Lebanon a minority of nations will argue for an exception for cluster munitions with self-destructs, in doing so they are arguing for a whole new generation of civilian casualties," said Simon Conway, Co-Chair of the Cluster Munition Coalition.