Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. K.Zarbaliyeva / Monitoring on use of cluster arms will be carried out in Azerbaijan. Initially there are plans to carry out monitoring in the regions of Fizuli, Terter and Tovuz, Hafiz Safikhanov, head of the Public Union of Azerbaijani Anti-mine Campaign, said on 28 August. Information about the use of these arms and victims will be discussed during an interview held with former soldiers and military experts. There are non exploding parts in cluster arms like balls. Some 10% of these parts do not blow up. Mark Khizney, an international expert, noted that parts of these cluster rams were found in 162 regions of Nagorno-Karabakh. As a result of these arms exploding five people have died and eight have been injured. "All the victims were children as the parts resemble a ball and children want to play with them," the expert said.
Some 6,500 parts from cluster arms were found in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Seventy-five countries have joined the Ottawa agreement to ban these arms. Cluster arms were used against 30 countries, including south-east countries of Asia and Africa, Katajin Derlisk, an official of the International Anti-Personnel Mine Campaign, said.
Azerbaijan is at war and therefore did not join the Ottawa agreement. Azerbaijan may ban cluster arms without joining the Ottawa agreement, Safikhanov said. Corresponding documents have already been developed.
Azerbaijan is invited to participate at the international conference on banning cluster arms in Belgrade scheduled for October.
Some 21 people have suffered as a result of cluster arms in Azerbaijan in the last seven months, the Public Union of Azerbaijani Anti-Mine Campaign reported.