Cluster bombs, unsafe for living things

Dear friends,

Within days, the U.S. could approve a new law allowing the use of cluster bombs - a banned lethal weapon that kills children in playgrounds years after wars have ended. But if we build a mass campaign now, we can convince other governments to stop the U.S. to stop using these weapons. Sign the urgent petition to save our children now!

Ahmad got hold of a shiny metal object in a park where he was celebrating its fifth birthday in Lebanon. It was an unexploded bomb. The bomb exploded in his face, killing him slowly in front of his family.

Three years ago, public pressure succeeded in imposing a ban on these cruel bombs. But now the U.S. is lobbying other nations so they might quietly sign a new law allowing the use of cluster bombs - to sign the death warrant of thousands of other children.

Most countries are still on the fence about how to vote. Only with an alarm sent around the world can we embarrass our government to prevent this deadly decision from being taken.

Positions are being taken now. We only have four days until countries come together to send our leaders a clear message: to defend the ban on cluster bombs and keep our children safe.

Click below to sign the petition - which will be delivered directly to delegates at the conference in Geneva. Sign the petition and forward this email to everyone - we did it before, let's do it again:

http://www.avaaz.org/po/cluster_bombs_ii_b/?vl

Thousands of people - many of them children - were killed or maimed by these bombs. When they are released, they are divided into many "small bombs" across a wide area, many of which do not explode. Years later, people find these devices in fields or on playgrounds of schools without knowing what they are. They are disturbed, picked up and then they explode.

In 2008, more than half of world governments banned these weapons by signing the Convention on Cluster Munitions. But now, surprisingly, countries like France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the UK, who signed the Convention, are under pressure from the U.S., China and Russia to carry out signing a separate agreement that would allow the use of cluster bombs. Only Norway, Mexico, Austria and a few others are fighting this horror.

Negotiators for the Convention on Conventional Weapons will meet in Geneva next week. Most governments do not really want this protocol and did not say how they will vote, but are under strong U.S. pressure. They will object only if the global public does something to convince them.

No time to lose - the conference starts on Monday. We will ask our governments to reject this cynical and deadly U.S. campaign to legalize killing with cluster bombs.

Cluster bombs and landmines were banned because citizens sounded the alarm to the world - with victims and survivors leading the way. Because of them and to ensure no more lives are lost, we will not allow these cruel weapons to be allowed. Let us unite now to demand a more peaceful world.

Translated from the Portuguese version by:

Lisa Karpova

Pravda.Ru