The longed-for treaty banning cluster bombs is going to be signed in Dublin today. Cluster bombs break up into hundreds of small bombs and kill civilians even after years. The treaty will involve 109 countries, which have been meeting in Ireland for ten days. After years, thanks to international campaigns by the civil society, now activists are jubilant, though somewhat perplexed because of some points and countries which do not intend to sign (USA, Israel, Russia, China, India, and Pakistan). According to Handicap International, which is part of the International Coalition against cluster bombs, "the agreement is beyond our expectations", but it is necessary to "check" some clauses. Article 21 actually allows signing countries to take advantage of allied armies still using cluster bombs: for instance, Great Britain (which accepted to destroy its arsenal) and the United States. "Those exceptions denounced Jean-Baptiste Richardier from Handicap international confirm the technological, economic and military supremacy of some countries". The signing countries will have 8 years to stop manufacturing and storing those bombs, and to destroy them. The treaty includes also measures of assistance for civilian victims: in accordance with incomplete data, the victims would be 13,306, and over 400 million people in the world (children, above all) are at risk.
