Madam, - Minister Dermot Ahern is to be commended for his commitment to a complete ban on the production, stockpiling and use of Cluster munitions ( The Irish Times, March 6th). It is also good that the Irish Government is among the core group of countries which is leading international efforts in this regard and that it is hosting an international diplomatic conference to finalise an international convention to outlaw cluster munitions, in Dublin in May of this year.
Afri, which is one of the many NGOs active on this issue, has a number of concerns, one of which is raised in the Minister's Irish Timesarticle. We believe that it is appalling and totally unacceptable that, while working for a ban on the use of these most brutal and indiscriminate weapons, State pension funds should be invested in companies involved in the manufacture and sale of the self same weapons.
The purpose of pension funds, surely, is to provide peace and security for people in their old age. How ironic, then, that these funds should be invested in an industry that is built on death and destruction, mostly of civilians, often of old people, children and the most vulnerable in society.
Not only should Irish pension funds be withdrawn from companies manufacturing cluster bombs but from any company which is involved in the arms industry. Afri will be running a campaign to highlight this issue in the coming months.
The second concern we have is that the convention would be watered down, in the negotiations in Dublin, to such a degree that it becomes ineffective. We would urge the Minister and the Irish delegation to hold firm in this regard and to refuse to bow to countries which have a vested interest in continuing to use these obscene weapons, regardless of the horrific suffering caused to their innocent victims.
- Yours, etc,
JOE MURRAY, (Director, Afri), Phibsborough, Dublin 7.