wfn.org | LWF - Lutheran Federation Applauds Initiative to Ban Cluster Bombs

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LWF Applauds Initiative to Ban Cluster Munitions
General Secretary Noko Decries Weapons' Obstacle to
Reconstruction, Human Development

GENEVA, 30 May 2008 (LWI)  - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
welcomes the adoption of the new treaty to ban cluster bombs,
agreed at the international Dublin Conference on Cluster
Munitions, and urges countries that had not participated in the
initiative to join the process.

In a public statement released today, LWF General Secretary Rev.
Dr Ishmael Noko praised the governments and civil society
organizations that had worked together during the 19-30 May
conference "to realize a framework for ridding the world of
cluster munitions, following the example of the Landmine Ban
Treaty." He called on those who had not signed on to sign the new
"Cluster Munitions Convention when it opens for signature in Oslo
later this year, and to contribute to the swift implementation of
a comprehensive ban on cluster munitions."

Noko's statement underlines the LWF's longstanding opposition to
indiscriminate weapons such as landmines and cluster munitions,
saying their deadly effects continued to be felt decades after a
conflict had ended.

"In post-conflict locations around the world, civilians -
especially children - are maimed or killed by such weapons every
day," said Noko, citing the LWF's initiatives to protect
communities from the lingering threat of landmines especially in
Cambodia and Southern Sudan.

He called upon LWF member churches to continue in their own
countries "to work for the rapid and complete global abolition of
landmines, cluster munitions and all such indiscriminate
weapons." (249 words)

The full text of Dr Noko's statement is available on the LWF Web
site at:
http://www.lutheranworld.org/LWF_Documents/Statement-Cluster_Bombs_Dr_Noko-E N.pdf

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(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF
currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of over 68.3 million. The LWF acts
on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such
as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

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