St. Kitts and Nevis signs international treaty to ban cluster bombs

Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 18th 2013 (CUOPM) – The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has become the latest nation to sign an international treaty banning cluster bombs.

The London-based Cluster Munition Coalition, which advocates for the elimination of the weapon, says the islands joined the treaty Saturday during a global gathering in Zambia.

The meeting in Zambia was attended by Foreign Service Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Michael Penny.

St. Kitts and Nevis will become the 84th nation to join the ban when it becomes official in early 2014.

The majority of nations that haven’t adopted the ban still possess the bulk of the cluster munitions. That includes the United States, China and Russia.

The weapons pose a particular risk to civilians because they indiscriminately scatter small “bomblets” packed into bombs, shells or missiles.