In the name of merciful God! Dear readers of Killid Radio Website! Greetings to you! I hope you are healthy and be safe from any type of difficulties; today we would like to have debate on Research on convention of elimination of cluster explosive materials and land mines, our guests are researchers Mr.Samiaulhaq Samae the technical advisor of Justice department of Handicap International and Mr. Rahmatullah the member is organization of Mine Affected Afghans, I would like to express my gratefulness from them, the aim of the debate is the effects of existence of explosive materials and mines on the community.
Dear countrymen! You may know that the Afghan government signed and approved the convention of elimination of cluster explosive materials and land mines on 8th September 2011, as Afghanistan was accepted the member of mentioned convention and based the mentioned convention no military group is allowed to use the mentioned weapons.
Cluster bomb has been made of 10 other small bombs which was used first in second world war.
The cluster bomb immediately disperse more small bombs in the area when they hit the ground, all of them don’t explode rather some of the remain unexploded which can be counted a big risk for military and nonmilitary people after war as well.
According to UN statements, the 98 % victims of cluster bombs are the civil people as they have killed 10000 people and 40% of them are the children.
So we would like to start our questions about the issue so we would like to ask Mr.Samae that when Afghanistan joined the convention of elimination of cluster explosive materials and the land mines?
Answer: Thanks that you have invites us to do a research on this important issue, to reply your question I can say that Afghanistan joined in 2008 in Oslo city of Norway to the mentioned convention, the goal of joining of Afghanistan was to find ways for prevention the further problems looking at the victims of the three decades wars including murdered, displaced and disabled people in Afghanistan because this type of mines were used in large numbers during Russia invasion and during Taliban regime which caused death and disability for many people.
As Afghan people like the peace and they give importance to others life so the Afghan government once again announced its commitment to the mentioned convention and promised not to produce the mentioned materials.
Question: Which countries first started efforts for this convention?
Answer: First the government of Norway undertook the leadership of the convention, then in 2006 a survey was launched regarding the quality of usage of the mentioned bombs in wars between Hezbollah of Lebanon and the Israel so due to this the countries that were faced with this problem started their efforts how to save themselves from the mentioned problems so a number of 117 countries joined the convention and a number of 75 of them were able to approve and put in practice.
Question: Mr.Samae! Are there any punishments for the countries that have joined and announced their commitment the convention but they disobey the convention?
Answer: Any country that signs this or similar to this convention must have commitment to the convention to end and put all its issues in practice, one of the conditions that the committed countries must obey that it should put the convention in practice August 2010
Question: Mr. Rahmatullah! If non-committed people to the convention still use the mentioned bombs what problems would be created and if committed countries use the mentioned bombs which sources would solve the problem?
Answer: The member countries in the convention are obliged not to let the non-committed countries to use the mentioned explosive materials, for instance the countries that have come to Afghanistan through NATO and ISAF and they are not committed to the convention the Afghan government has the obligation to prevent them, if the countries committed to this convention use the cluster bombs no punishment has been mentioned in the convention for the commixed countries that use the bombs but still this is the ethical duty of the committed countries to respect the convention and put it in practice.
Question: Cannot the UN to show its reaction against the countries that disobey the convention?
Answer: The issues inserted in the mentioned convention prohibit all the committed countries not to use the cluster bombs and mines, if the committed countries till disobey so the UN should do a research on the issue through a commission and decide about, though after establishment this convention no country have used the mentioned materials if the non-committed have sued them their action has been convicted and condemned by the UN
Question: Mr.Samae how the usage of cluster bombs has caused the disability in the community?
Answer: As you know Afghanistan has remained committed to this convention since ten past years but it was seen that every month more than 650 Afghan people have been damaged by the mines though fortunately the mentioned number decreased recently to 42 people per month due to activities of mine clearance organizations that we should thank them, the fact that how many people have been damaged by the mines is not known but the survey of Handicap International launched in 2005 shows that 2.7% of the population of Afghanistan are disabled, also as I know the ministry of defense recently announced that the mentioned ministry eliminated a big stock of unexploded mines and materials.
Question: Have the cluster bombs and other materials been used in provinces and insecure areas after Afghanistan got the membership of the convention?
Answer: The governmental military groups have not used them but the illegal armed groups, anti-governmental forces opponents and the neighboring countries use them to safeguard their borders.
Question: Mr. Rahmatullah! Have the damaged people by mines been helped?
Answer: Since many countries have signed the convention of elimination of cluster and underground mines they have tried to put all the issues in practice as the article number 5 of convention states that all the member countries should gather the mentioned materials and eliminate them, on the other hand the victims of the mentioned materials must be helped as I know the Afghan government has helped the people damaged by the mines and unexploded materials though the help is not enough, so there is need that the government and other nongovernmental organizations provide them enough help the helps that enable them to get job and solve their problems themselves.
Question: So if you have any views to prevent the problem so please share them?
Answer: My message is that the Afghan government should put in practice all the international conventions that it has joined with and accept them as prioritized strategies, in this case I hope that no one would become the victim of the cluster bombs and mines.
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