Red Cross Urges Ban On Cluster Bombs

A boy holds an unexploded cluster bomb in the Lebanese town of Kunin last month (AFP) November 7, 2006 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for a halt to the use of cluster bombs in conflicts around the world.

ICRC also said on November 6 that it would call a conference in 2007 to discuss a possible new global pact on the bombs.

Debate over the use of the weapon has intensified following their use by Israel in its war against Hizballah in south Lebanon in the summer.

Cluster bombs contain small pellet explosives that spread over a wide area.

(Reuters, AP)