Wounded landscapes

Labor [agrees] with the Department of Defence’s position that the blanket prohibition of broadly defined “cluster munitions” could place Australian forces at a disadvantage against potential adversaries. Furthermore, such a ban would mean that Defence could not acquire any sub-munition based weapon system, whether or not it was generally considered to be a cluster munition, including those intended to minimise humanitarian impact.

And:

It is noted that Landmine Action UK, the Cluster Munitions Coalition, and Handicap International, have conceded that precision-guided munitions that discriminate between targets, such as those in the process of being procured by Defence, do not pose a greater risk to civilians and constitute legitimate alternatives to general cluster munitions.

When Rae McGrath read this, he responded with “An Open Letter” to the ALP. Addressed to Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and other ministers of note, it accused Labor of “… a quite cynical misrepresentation of Handicap International’s position”.

“They have also misrepresented the whole Cluster Munitions Coalition” Rae said. “We call for a total ban on all cluster munitions based on the experiences of our field teams over many years …”

Rae makes no bones about cluster munitions. He writes: “There is another reason we campaign for a total ban on cluster munitions - their use is already illegal under existing international law, most specifically under the terms of Additional Protocol I, Article 51 to the Geneva Conventions.”

In a telephone interview today McGrath added:

Australia may think it makes no difference for them just to have a small stock of cluster munitions which it is unlikely to use. They must realise that their actions weaken the resolve of countries prepared to make a sacrifice for reasons of humanity and common decency. Instead, they are encouraging the few governments intent on undermining the new treaty. It is behaviour unworthy of Australians and for no real military gain. It’s an idiotic policy which I hope the new government will quickly abandon in favour of a complete ban. Hopefully this government will forswear cluster munitions. Hopefully, they will respond with urgency and humanity to such grim reminders as the cluster duds in Lebanon.

Australian anti-mine activists are hoping that Mr Rudd and his new ministry and backbenchers use Labor’s mandate to build an Australia that will leave a legacy of humane diplomacy rather than more wounded landscapes, littered with unexploded ordnance.