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Belgian MPs Unanimously Confirm Uranium Weapons Ban

CADU | 23.03.2007 11:02 | Anti-militarism | Iraq | Technology | World

On Thursday 22th March 117 MPs from across the political spectrum unanimously backed the Chamber Commission on National Defence's March 7th decision to outlaw uranium weapons and armour plate.



Last night, a plenary sitting of the Belgian Parliament voted unanimously in favour of a law proposal that will "prohibit the manufacture, use, storage, sale, acquisition, supply and transit of inert munitions and armour that contain depleted uranium (DU) or any other industrially manufactured uranium ."

Deputies Brigitte Wiaux (CdH), Zoë Genot (Ecolo), Stef Goris (VLD) and Dirk Van der Maelen (political group leader of SP.A and SPIRIT) appealed for a wide parliamentary support of the law proposal and they got it.

All 117 parliamentarians, including the extreme right, voted to ban depleted uranium munitions and armour. The law will be published in the Belgian Statute Book before the upcoming federal elections.

Willem Van den Panhuysen and Ria Verjauw, campaign leaders of the Belgian Coalition 'Stop Uranium Weapons!' and members of Friends of the Earth Flanders, were surprised at the astonishing political consensus in support of a ban. Relying on the Precautionary Principle, Belgium is now the first country in the world to domestically ban the use of these indiscriminate weapon systems.


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