KEY POINTS:
Defence Minister Phil Goff has welcomed a "ground-breaking" treaty on cluster munitions.
The treaty to ban cluster bombs has been hailed internationally but some have questioned how effective it can be without backing from key powers such as the United States and China.
After 10 days of negotiations in Dublin, diplomats agreed the wording of a pact to outlaw the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions.
The agreement was reached by delegates from 111 countries, but there were several notable absentees from the list of supporters.
Mr Goff said the treaty would save lives and help prevent civilian casualties.
"New Zealand has been at the forefront of the drive towards this treaty as one of the founders of the Oslo Process," Mr Goff said.
Oslo was also the host for the start of the process, leading to the adoption of the Convention, at a meeting held in February 2007.
"Earlier this year we hosted the Wellington Conference on Cluster Munitions, which laid the foundation for the Dublin Agreement."
Mr Goff said New Zealand's Disarmament Ambassador Don MacKay played a crucial role in Dublin to secure agreement on the definition of cluster munitions to be banned.
"The end result, while inevitably involving some compromise, has exceeded expectations.
"The Treaty will ban 95 per cent of all cluster munitions that cause such devastating harm to civilians.
"It is expected to be endorsed by countries before the conference ends tonight."
A signing ceremony for the Convention will be held in Norway later this year.
The United States, China and Russia have side-stepped the deal, and while Britain and other Nato states champion the ban, the treaty has loopholes that would allow British troops to benefit if an ally like Washington uses the weapons.
Israel, which made widespread use of cluster bombs during its 2006 war with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, has reiterated its intention to go on using them, and India and Pakistan are also notable non-signatories of the treaty.
Article 21 of the agreement would let British troops call in US air support that might include planes dropping cluster bombs, although British forces would not themselves use them.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown pushed hard for a ban, even though the British military often employs cluster bombs.
- NZPA
