Finland Not To Sign Cluster Munitions Treaty

Finland's cabinet committee on foreign policy and Tarja Halonen, the president, decided at a joint session on Friday that the country would not sign the Oslo treaty banning cluster munitions in December.>> "The Oslo convention will be discussed again after an evaluation of defence capabilities has been carried out and the international development work along with the supply and cost options of cluster munitions have been analysed," the government said in a statement.>> "The cabinet committee on foreign and security policy will follow the situation on an annual basis.">> "Finland considers the Oslo convention significant from the humanitarian perspective and supports the objectives and efforts of the Oslo convention to make the convention universal.">> The government added that Finland would participate in the implementation of the Oslo treaty "through humanitarian mine action.">> The Finnish military has purchased a fair amount of cluster munitions in an effort to replace its stockpile of anti-personnel land mines. The Finnish government has pledged to sign the Ottawa treaty banning the mines in 2012.>> -ends->