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Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Bill [Lords]

The point is made, but that shows how the argument has advanced. Ernest Hemingway said:""Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime."" Today, we strive to make one very small but ugly facet of war a crime, and that must be a positive thing. More recently, General Petraeus has said that we must think of war in a very different way—it is no longer enough just to destroy the enemy, we have to enable the local, and only then is our job done properly. We cannot enable the local if we leave behind a legacy of munitions. I am pleased to add my weight and support to the Bill, which is morally and ethically the right thing to do and a very positive step forward.