§ Baroness Turner of Camdenasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the use of cluster bombs and depleted uranim bombs by NATO in the recent Balkan conflict, over areas known to be populated by civilians, is lawful and authorised by Geneva Conventions. (HL4051)
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)One of the purposes of the first Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions is to protect the civilian population and civilian objects during armed conflict. This is what we sought to do throughout the air campaign. Furthermore, neither cluster bombs nor depleted uranium ammunition are proscribed by any of the international agreements to which the UK is a party, and the UK did not use any of the latter during the air campaign.