Secretary-General hails 21 states on consent to weapons protocol

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General has noted with great satisfaction that, as of 12 May 2006, 21 States have expressed their consent to be bound by Protocol V to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which addresses the threat posed by explosive remnants of war.  As a result, the conditions for the entry into force of this important instrument have now been met, and the Protocol will enter into force in six months, on 12 November 2006.  The Secretary-General congratulates the 21 CCW States parties that have expressed their consent to be bound by the Protocol, and calls upon those States that have not yet done so, to do so as soon as possible.

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