Bahrain and Qatar lead by example

Dubai: Only six Arab nations have pledged to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) when it opens in Oslo tomorrow, including two GCC States.

The Gulf countries that have agreed to adopt the CCM are Bahrain and Qatar. Kuwait had subscribed to the Wellington Declaration, indicating willingness to adopt the convention, but did not make the pledge to sign the treaty at Dublin in May.

Yemen and Jordan had also shown interest in signing the treaty earlier, but eventually dropped out.

The four other Arab countries that have agreed to adopt it are Comoros, Lebanon, Morocco and Sudan. Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Oman and Saudi Arabia had observer status at the Dublin.

According to Human Rights Watch, 15 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have stockpiles of cluster munitions. Saudi Arabia is the only GCC nation that is listed as having used cluster munitions.

But Riad Qahwaji, director of the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA), said there was no documented proof of any Gulf nation possessing or having used cluster munitions, adding that such claims were politicised.

"Cluster bombs are not easy to come by. Governments do not [allow for them to be] released easily to clients. There has not been any documented evidence of Arab countries using them in war ... there is no record of training exercises they've done on the use of cluster bombs," he said.

Human Rights Watch, however, says Saudi Arabian and American forces used cluster munitions against Iraqi forces in the Battle of Khafji during the First Gulf War.

Mark Hiznay, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said all US transfers of cluster munitions to the region are publicly disclosed, as required by law, adding that the US is the "biggest supplier to the region".

Wait-and-watch

Observers say that some Arab countries have not entirely ruled out signing the convention and might be waiting to see how many countries are on board before making a decision.

There are also indications that Gulf countries might be waiting to see whether Iran makes a move towards the convention. Iran, which is thought to possess the PROSAB-250 and BL-755 bombs, has not participated in any of the major international conferences aimed at banning the weapon.

Qahwaji said that Gulf States that felt threatened by Iran needed a tactical weapon to deal with possible "human wave attacks", referring to a shock assault in which soldiers attack in dense groups without reliance on arms. Countries that had small armed forces, he said, "need cluster bombs to act as deterrents".

Hiznay agreed that US allies in the Gulf felt threatened by Iran.

"US transfers to Gulf States have been aimed at providing them with an area attack capability [with] sufficient range to engage Iranian forces".