Egypt never signed on to the Global Cluster Munitions Treaty, which went into effect on Sunday, even though it took part in preparatory discussions about the treaty in 2008, according to the Foreign Ministry.
“We have some reservations about the agreement,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki, pointing out that the treaty excluded certain kinds of technologically-advanced cluster munitions and exempted the industrial countries that produced such weapons.
“It also puts the onus of eliminating the effects of cluster munitions on the countries that have been hit by them,” he added.
Nevertheless, Zaki welcomed the treaty’s recent activation.
“It is a step towards the total elimination of cluster munitions,” he said, adding that Egypt called on all countries that possess cluster munitions to destroy their stockpiles of the weapons within the coming eight years.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
