Various state institutions are holding consultations about withdrawing Lithuania from the Convention on Cluster Munitions, says a conservative MP. The move was prompted by last year’s decision by the US to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite the fact that they pose danger to civilians.
The parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence (NSGK), chaired by MP Laurynas Kasčiūnas, discussed the issue on Wednesday. According to Kasčiūnas, consultations among state institutions are “giving a positive vibe” about withdrawing from the international treaty banning all use, transfer, production, and stockpiling of cluster munitions.
“Inter-institutional consultations are ongoing and more information will be provided at the beginning of the [parliament’s] spring session,” Kasčiūnas told reporters after the NSGK meeting. “All institutions are working to make Lithuania stronger and better prepared defensively.”
Both Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas, who proposed withdrawing from the convention, and Kęstutis Budrys, a representative of the president’s office that was earlier sceptical about the move, refrained from commenting on the issue after the meeting.
Asked whether institutions share the opinion that Lithuania should withdraw from the arms control treaty, Kasčiūnas said “the consultations are giving a positive vibe”.
Kasčiūnas, who is a member of the conservative TS-LKD party, is enthusiastic about the move: “I think we cannot tie our hands and not have the possibility to develop a capability that would allow us to deter the enemy, to defend ourselves more effectively, both on our own and together with our allies.”
A cluster munition is a weapon containing multiple explosive submunitions. Cluster munitions are dropped from aircraft or fired from the ground or sea, opening up in mid-air to release tens or hundreds of submunitions, which can saturate an area up to the size of several football fields.
Many human rights and arms control groups consider cluster munitions a violation of international law. They can contain hundreds of bomblets that, like a shotgun, splatter explosive shards across a wide area. That makes them effective at taking out a concentration of enemy forces, but also poses a particular threat to civilians.
In September, the Defence Ministry turned to members of the State Defence Council – a body consisting of the president, some members of the cabinet, and military representatives – proposing to discuss a possible withdrawal from the convention. However, the Council decided not to consider the issue at that time.
Representatives of the president’s office argued that they needed to hear expert opinion and know the views of Lithuania’s allies. Moreover, they argued, withdrawing from the convention could damage the country’s prestige.
The Defence Ministry maintains that cluster munitions are a highly effective means of defence and that Lithuania should be allowed to use them. In the event of an armed conflict against Lithuania, Russia and Belarus would undoubtedly use cluster munitions, which would give them a military advantage, the ministry insisted.
It also stressed that the US and some NATO allies - Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Turkey – are not parties to the treaty.
Lithuania joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2011. The agreement prohibits the use, production and acquisition of cluster munitions and sets out specific obligations to address the humanitarian consequences of these weapons.
In mid-July, the United States handed over these munitions, banned in many countries, to Ukraine.
The Convention on Cluster Munitions was signed in Dublin in December 2008 and entered into force on August 1, 2010.
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