Inhumane Weapons Convention (Hansard, 28 June 1994)

§ Mr. Worthington
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he intends to strengthen mines protocol No. 11 to the 1981 inhumane weapons convention.
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§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
A review conference on the 1981 United Nations weaponry convention has been called for 1995, the main aim of which will be to consider strengthening protocol II on the use of land mines. We are already playing a full role in the preparations for that conference.

§ Mr. Worthington
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy and rationale with regard to the ratification of the 1980 inhumane weapons convention.

§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
The United Kingdom has signed the 1981 United Nations weaponry convention, and we are now working actively towards ratification. We hope to achieve this soon, certainly in time for the review conference in 1995.

§ Mr. Worthington
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is seeking to extend the 1980 inhumane weapons convention to cover internal conflicts.

§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
The application of the 1981 United Nations weaponry convention to non-international conflicts is one of the issues being considered by the expert groups preparing for the review conference on the convention in 1995. We are playing a full role in this process.