The Republic of Croatia has actively participated in the Convention preparatory meetings, especially as regards the rehabilitation and reintegration of the victims, where it often pointed out the importance of the obligation towards them, as well as the necessity of clearing the polluted areas and destroying the stockpiles. In that regard, Minister Jandroković also pointed out the need for implementing the Convention on a national level.
Minister Jandroković emphasized that Croatia does not approve of the use of cluster munitions and has often warned about the humanitarian consequences on the civilian population. Also, learning from its Homeland War experience, Croatia was one of the first countries in the region to warn about the great danger of these weapons.
The Convention’s stipulations require that all of the signatory countries destroy the cluster munitions stockpile of its armed forces within set deadlines. In order for the Convention to be successfully implemented, obligations of international cooperation and victim assistance have also been determined, as well as the measures of transparency, which will contribute to the decrease in civilian victims and bring about a better care for them.
The signing ceremony was attended by the representatives of the 107 countries that supported the adoption of the Convention’s content May 2008 in Dublin, as well as by numerous other invitees.
On the ceremony’s margins, Minister Jandroković met with Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.
The meeting discussed the two countries’ bilateral relations, which were described as very good, as well as the liberalization of the visa regime.