Postcard from Oslo
The world says ‘Yes We Can’ ban cluster bombs!

It has been an exciting week here in Oslo [December 2-5, 2008], where I have joined dozens of U.S. campaigners and hundreds of colleagues from around the world to witness and celebrate the banning of cluster bombs. The Obama campaign’s “Yes We Can” slogan was on the tip of nearly everyone’s tongue!

By Thursday afternoon, 94 countries had signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, including most major U.S. military allies and nearly all governments contributing troops to the NATO coalition in Afghanistan. The Foreign Ministers of Britain and France, among others, called on President-elect Obama to sign the treaty. Unfortunately, no one from the U.S. government—not even from the local embassy—attended the signing conference. The U.S. has historically been the largest user and exporter of these weapons.

Among those present in Oslo were 16 people who have been directly harmed by cluster munitions ; all but two of these were victims of U.S. weapons. One of the survivors in attendance was Lynn Bradach , whose Marine son was killed while clearing “dud” U.S. cluster submunitions in Iraq. Another pair was Ayat and Ismail Suleiman Ali from Iraq. Ismail lost four sons to a single submunition in 2003, and his then eight-year-old daughter Ayat suffered burns over much of her body. The accident occurred when one of Ismail's sons picked up an unexploded bomb, thinking it was a toy.

A highlight at the main event on Wednesday was the surprise announcement that Afghanistan would sign the treaty. Although heavily impacted by these weapons, Afghanistan had not been expected to sign, reportedly because of U.S. pressure. The last minute reversal was in large measure due to the advocacy efforts in Oslo of Soraj Ghulam Habib , the 17-year-old Afghan boy who lost his legs to a U.S. cluster submunition in late 2001. Soraj toured the Midwest with the Cluster Bomb Survivors Tour organized by the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines in October.

Back in Washington, DC the Bush Administration seemed unaware of the historic event. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino was unable to explain why the United States was not signing. Fortunately, the incoming administration at least had a talking point on the issue! A spokeswoman for the Obama transition team said that the next president would "carefully review the new treaty and work closely [with] our friends and allies to ensure that the United States is doing everything feasible to promote protection of civilians."

Help persuade President-elect Obama to sign this important humanitarian treaty. Look for a media report in your local paper from the past week, and then send a letter to the editor urging your Congressperson, Senators and President-elect to support U.S. entry into the treaty.

Thanks for your continuing work on this! Remember, together “Yes We Can” bring the United States into the global ban on cluster bombs!

Lora Lumpe
Coordinator
U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs