GOVERNMENT EXPERTS OF STATES PARTIES TO WEAPONS CONVENTION TO MEET IN GENEVA, 8 – 12 MARCH

GOVERNMENT EXPERTS OF STATES PARTIES TO WEAPONS CONVENTION

TO MEET IN GENEVA, 8 – 12 MARCH

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 5 March (UN Information Service) -- The seventh session of the Group of Governmental Experts of the States Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW), established by the Second Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on 21 December 2001, will be held from 8 to 12 March at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.  The Group will hold its eighth session from 5 to16 July 2004 and its Ninth Session from 8 to 16 November 2004.

The Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention held on 27 and 28 November 2003 agreed on new mandates for the two respective working groups on Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) and Mines Other Than Anti-Personnel Mines (MOTAPM).  The Meeting of the States Parties also decided that Ambassador Gordan Markotić of Croatia, as Chairman-designate of the Meeting of the States Parties on 18 and 19 November 2004, would chair all the three sessions of the Group.  The Meeting also appointed Ambassador Markku Reimaa of Finland as Coordinator for MOTAPM.

On the issue of ERW, the Group will continue to consider the implementation of existing principles of International Humanitarian Law and to further study, on an open-ended basis, and initially with particular emphasis on meetings of military and technical experts, possible preventive measures aimed at improving the design of certain specific types of munitions, including sub-munitions, with a view to minimize the humanitarian risk of these munitions becoming explosive remnants of war.  Exchange of information, assistance and cooperation will be part of this work.

On the issue of MOTAPM, the Group will consider all proposals put forward since the establishment of the Group of Governmental Experts with the aim of elaborating appropriate recommendations on mines other than anti-personnel mines for submission to the next Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention.  Meetings of military experts shall also be conducted to provide advice on these activities.

The Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), or also known as the Inhumane Weapons Convention, was concluded on 10 October 1980, and entered into force on 2 December 1983.  It comprises five protocols, which ban or restrict the use of various types of weapons that are considered to cause unnecessary or unjustifiable suffering or to have other humanitarian consequences.  The weapons currently covered include weapons leaving undetectable fragments in the body (Protocol I), certain types of landmines and booby-traps (Protocol II), incendiary weapons (Protocol III), and blinding laser weapons (Protocol IV).  Currently, 93 States are party to the Convention.  On 28 November 2003, the Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention adopted Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War.

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