2,500 NATO cluster bombs still out there

“The U.S., Russia and China have not signed. I am not concerned because of that, but the fact that Serbia has not signed is very disappointing, because the citizens of Serbian need the convention and they helped to create it. If Serbia had signed it, the country would have access to funds for removing the mines and helping victims,” he added.'

So no funds to clean up this war crime that was perpetrated by NATO unless Serbian signs a piece of paper which the US will not sign? I would like to remind everyone that it was not Serbia who dropped cluster bombs in Nis, but NATO. What does this signing have to do with cleaning up the cluster bombs which could maim or kill civilians, children....This is more unbelievable hypocrisy and immorality from the so called 'civilized West'. By not cleaning up this mess, they are just showing that they agree with the NATO war criminals (Wesley Clark) of dropping cluster bombs on civilians. Shame!!

Too bad this story will never make the North American news.

I guess according to NATO, no news is good news.

Perhaps Mr European from Netherlands has something more to say now about the EU values.
Cluster bombs make just a small part of those true European values.

“No country disappointed me as much as Serbia because of the fact that it has not signed,” said Thomas Nash, the coordinator of the Cluster Munition Coalition

-You are no more disappointed than me, believe me. I do not know what may be beyond such shameful decision not to sign but all I can say about current Serbian leadership (that run the country already 9 years), is that our leadership is a bunch of incompetent people who work against Serbia’s interests very often.

Serbia's yellow democrats backwarded each pore of our society at all levels until they finally succeeded to destroy economy allowing strong import- lobbyists to retake and control this sphere of the society. Corruption became even worse nightmare than during Milosevic.

They are true disappointment!

Nato will suck serbia into its membership over our dead serb bodies. i know the concept is not alien to them but that's the only way it will work. in other words it will work NEVER.
war in kosovo started after 24/3/99 when nato started the war. nato was not stropping any war. it was starting it. check hague archives if you like, see when the crimes they say were committed. not a single one before nato started the war. so why did nato start the war?
and look at this magnificent article, just one day before the shameful aggression.

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5570

GSP,
DeGaulle certainly was not a huge fan of NATO, he withdrew France from NATO in 1966, and rightfully so. DeGaulle is rolling around in his grave right now as that minion with a Napoleonic complex, Sarkozy, wants to weasel his way back into NATO.
France has helped Serbia a great deal in the past, especially in 1919 at the Treaty of Versailles, and are Serbia's traditional ally.
DeGaulle was friends with Draza Mihajlovic, and refused to visit Yugoslavia after Tito executed him. Our friendship with France will be restored eventually, once they get sycophants and lap dogs like Sarkozy and Kouchner out of power, and get someone in there who has some moral fibre, and actually cares about truth and justice.

Cluster bombs are outlawed for very good reason, yet still the US and its allies, especially Israel, use them widely. NATO must pay to clean this up. How does dropping anti-civilian cluster bombs on ... Nis, help Albanians fleeing Serbian troops and paramiliataries in Kosova way down south?

But also, what is serbia's excuse for not signing then? Too good profits for the huge military industry perhaps, given its big weight within the economy - something Serbia shares, on a much smaller scale, with the US.

Shouldn't we first start concentrating our efforts in dealing with those governments who have used cluster bombs.
The cluster bombs in Southern Serbia should be cleaned up by those NATO forces that dropped them. Once all have been removed, NATO could then begin to compensate the families of the victims of these satanic NATO cluster bombs.

MB,Ireland

Tadic should go & visit Sarkozy & see if there is anything to salvage of the friendship....Sarkozy is a huge advocate of NATO, as was DeGaulle....

H.P.D,
Serbia is not a user, but rather a producer. Besides, Serbia's signature would be useless, as she would never attack another nation.

But, the superpowers of the world should be the ones to lead the ban.

Had not the EU dropped these cluster bombs on Serbia, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now, would we.

It's a shame that Serbia still haven't signed the convention for prohibiting the use of cluster bombs !!!

This is not a West vs East, or South vs North situation, although opportunist nationalists will sell it as such. This is a question of values. Why hasn't any of the Slavophile nationalists mentioned the Russian and Serbian use of cluster bombs in any of the comments here? Serb military is as gulity of war crimes and deaths of civilians, as the military of the U.K, USA, and the Netherlands is in FY.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_bomb
If you don't practice universal priciples or values yourself, don't expect to be treated by such yourself either.

Theres going to be a lot more wars this century than those that have been so far or the ones that are ongoing at the moment.
It's up to each and every one of us.

Canadian Serb,

I find your comment imprecise. But I will respond to it nevertheless.

1. Your claim: "Serbia is not a user, but rather a producer."
False. Serbian forces used cluster munition to kill and maim civilians with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagreb_rocket_attack

Or since you are Canadian, you may want to respond to something more local:
http://www.minesactioncanada.org/peoples_treaty/fact_sheets/en/Timeline%20of%20Use.pdf
http://www.minesactioncanada.org/peoples_treaty/index.cfm?fuse=Fact_Sheets.Index

where they produce figures of some of the Serbian forces use of cluster munition such as:
"1992 - 1995, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Forces of Yugoslavia and NSAG used cluster munitions during civil war..."

"1998 - 1999, Albania.
Yugoslav forces used rocket-delivered cluster munitions in disputed border areas..."

2. Your claim: "Besides, Serbia's signature would be useless, as she would never attack another nation."
All the more reason to sign it then, if Serbia has nothing to lose. But Serbia is not Costa Rica (neutral country without a military). Any country can become an aggressor given enough militant leaders.
Secondly, why refer to Serbia in feminine form? I know it's very emotional, trendy, and nationalistic, and most of the people are very competitive about things like that. But if Serbia is a woman, then it's only proper to refer to the EU as a woman too. Or Croatia, and Bosnia, etc. etc. But this is a digression that only leads to dark places.

3. Statement: "But, the superpowers of the world should be the ones to lead the ban."
Most definitely. I totally agree with you. And since they haven't signed, we can only imagine they are planning to use their destructive weapons again and again. Weapons production and military expenditure reached $ 1,470 trillion last year.

4. Your claim: "Had not the EU dropped these cluster bombs on Serbia, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now, would we."
I am pretty sure you know that it wasn't the EU as an entity that used cluster bombs in Kosovo and Serbia, so let's keep to the facts, instead of trying to win sentimental points for the sake of the all too common "authentic-Serb" populist competition.
If it was up to me, I'd have the whole lot of them in the Hague; Clinton, Blair, Albright, and all the other very numerous unmentioned. But with all the resistance from the nationalists in FY, as long as a action doesn't fit in with the Serbian martyr myth stagnation, I know I won't be getting any help from those neck of the woods.

Canadian Serb; I'm a pacifist, I'm male, but I refused to do military service and did 18 months of civil service for a environmental organization instead. Precisely for reasons such as these. I will never be a part of it. Which is also why I have to react.

Cluster bombs are outlawed for very good reason, yet still the US and its allies, especially Israel, use them widely. NATO must pay to clean this up. How does dropping anti-civilian cluster bombs on ... Nis, help Albanians fleeing Serbian troops and paramiliataries in Kosova way down south?

But also, what is serbia's excuse for not signing then? Too good profits for the huge military industry perhaps, given its big weight within the economy - something Serbia shares, on a much smaller scale, with the US.

GSP,
DeGaulle certainly was not a huge fan of NATO, he withdrew France from NATO in 1966, and rightfully so. DeGaulle is rolling around in his grave right now as that minion with a Napoleonic complex, Sarkozy, wants to weasel his way back into NATO.
France has helped Serbia a great deal in the past, especially in 1919 at the Treaty of Versailles, and are Serbia's traditional ally.
DeGaulle was friends with Draza Mihajlovic, and refused to visit Yugoslavia after Tito executed him. Our friendship with France will be restored eventually, once they get sycophants and lap dogs like Sarkozy and Kouchner out of power, and get someone in there who has some moral fibre, and actually cares about truth and justice.

This is not a West vs East, or South vs North situation, although opportunist nationalists will sell it as such. This is a question of values. Why hasn't any of the Slavophile nationalists mentioned the Russian and Serbian use of cluster bombs in any of the comments here? Serb military is as gulity of war crimes and deaths of civilians, as the military of the U.K, USA, and the Netherlands is in FY.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_bomb
If you don't practice universal priciples or values yourself, don't expect to be treated by such yourself either.

Theres going to be a lot more wars this century than those that have been so far or the ones that are ongoing at the moment.
It's up to each and every one of us.

Perhaps Mr European from Netherlands has something more to say now about the EU values.
Cluster bombs make just a small part of those true European values.

“No country disappointed me as much as Serbia because of the fact that it has not signed,” said Thomas Nash, the coordinator of the Cluster Munition Coalition

-You are no more disappointed than me, believe me. I do not know what may be beyond such shameful decision not to sign but all I can say about current Serbian leadership (that run the country already 9 years), is that our leadership is a bunch of incompetent people who work against Serbia’s interests very often.

Serbia's yellow democrats backwarded each pore of our society at all levels until they finally succeeded to destroy economy allowing strong import- lobbyists to retake and control this sphere of the society. Corruption became even worse nightmare than during Milosevic.

They are true disappointment!

It's a shame that Serbia still haven't signed the convention for prohibiting the use of cluster bombs !!!

Tadic should go & visit Sarkozy & see if there is anything to salvage of the friendship....Sarkozy is a huge advocate of NATO, as was DeGaulle....

H.P.D,
Serbia is not a user, but rather a producer. Besides, Serbia's signature would be useless, as she would never attack another nation.

But, the superpowers of the world should be the ones to lead the ban.

Had not the EU dropped these cluster bombs on Serbia, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now, would we.

“The U.S., Russia and China have not signed. I am not concerned because of that, but the fact that Serbia has not signed is very disappointing, because the citizens of Serbian need the convention and they helped to create it. If Serbia had signed it, the country would have access to funds for removing the mines and helping victims,” he added.'

So no funds to clean up this war crime that was perpetrated by NATO unless Serbian signs a piece of paper which the US will not sign? I would like to remind everyone that it was not Serbia who dropped cluster bombs in Nis, but NATO. What does this signing have to do with cleaning up the cluster bombs which could maim or kill civilians, children....This is more unbelievable hypocrisy and immorality from the so called 'civilized West'. By not cleaning up this mess, they are just showing that they agree with the NATO war criminals (Wesley Clark) of dropping cluster bombs on civilians. Shame!!

Too bad this story will never make the North American news.

I guess according to NATO, no news is good news.

Nato will suck serbia into its membership over our dead serb bodies. i know the concept is not alien to them but that's the only way it will work. in other words it will work NEVER.
war in kosovo started after 24/3/99 when nato started the war. nato was not stropping any war. it was starting it. check hague archives if you like, see when the crimes they say were committed. not a single one before nato started the war. so why did nato start the war?
and look at this magnificent article, just one day before the shameful aggression.

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5570

Shouldn't we first start concentrating our efforts in dealing with those governments who have used cluster bombs.
The cluster bombs in Southern Serbia should be cleaned up by those NATO forces that dropped them. Once all have been removed, NATO could then begin to compensate the families of the victims of these satanic NATO cluster bombs.

MB,Ireland

Canadian Serb,

I find your comment imprecise. But I will respond to it nevertheless.

1. Your claim: "Serbia is not a user, but rather a producer."
False. Serbian forces used cluster munition to kill and maim civilians with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagreb_rocket_attack

Or since you are Canadian, you may want to respond to something more local:
http://www.minesactioncanada.org/peoples_treaty/fact_sheets/en/Timeline%20of%20Use.pdf
http://www.minesactioncanada.org/peoples_treaty/index.cfm?fuse=Fact_Sheets.Index

where they produce figures of some of the Serbian forces use of cluster munition such as:
"1992 - 1995, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Forces of Yugoslavia and NSAG used cluster munitions during civil war..."

"1998 - 1999, Albania.
Yugoslav forces used rocket-delivered cluster munitions in disputed border areas..."

2. Your claim: "Besides, Serbia's signature would be useless, as she would never attack another nation."
All the more reason to sign it then, if Serbia has nothing to lose. But Serbia is not Costa Rica (neutral country without a military). Any country can become an aggressor given enough militant leaders.
Secondly, why refer to Serbia in feminine form? I know it's very emotional, trendy, and nationalistic, and most of the people are very competitive about things like that. But if Serbia is a woman, then it's only proper to refer to the EU as a woman too. Or Croatia, and Bosnia, etc. etc. But this is a digression that only leads to dark places.

3. Statement: "But, the superpowers of the world should be the ones to lead the ban."
Most definitely. I totally agree with you. And since they haven't signed, we can only imagine they are planning to use their destructive weapons again and again. Weapons production and military expenditure reached $ 1,470 trillion last year.

4. Your claim: "Had not the EU dropped these cluster bombs on Serbia, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now, would we."
I am pretty sure you know that it wasn't the EU as an entity that used cluster bombs in Kosovo and Serbia, so let's keep to the facts, instead of trying to win sentimental points for the sake of the all too common "authentic-Serb" populist competition.
If it was up to me, I'd have the whole lot of them in the Hague; Clinton, Blair, Albright, and all the other very numerous unmentioned. But with all the resistance from the nationalists in FY, as long as a action doesn't fit in with the Serbian martyr myth stagnation, I know I won't be getting any help from those neck of the woods.

Canadian Serb; I'm a pacifist, I'm male, but I refused to do military service and did 18 months of civil service for a environmental organization instead. Precisely for reasons such as these. I will never be a part of it. Which is also why I have to react.