From the very beginning of this process which started with the conference on cluster munitions in Oslo in February 2007 with 49 countries participating, I saw three groups emerge: one group pushed for the complete and universal ban of all cluster munitions, the other was against it, but unwilling to take pro-active steps, while the last was somewhere in between. The uncertainty borne of this situation, lasted up until the cluster munitions conference in Dublin, where the Treaty on cluster munitions was finally drawn up.

I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the fact that the Republic of Ireland was strongly and bravely supporting the ban on cluster munitions from the very beginning and persisted till the most important conference was held here in Ireland. Ireland played a very significant role during the conference and through its active participation contributed to the making of key paragraphs of the treaty itself. After the first week of the two week Dublin diplomatic Conference, our goal was still out of reach, we did not give up and worked very hard, more than 15 hours a day, and I have to say that if it wasn’t for your Irish charm, relaxed manner and easy laughter, hardly anyone of us would have persisted in working under such enormous pressure and uncertainty till the end. At the beginning of the second week there was a great progress, and in the end our combined efforts resulted in achieving our goal.

Even though every delegation was forced to compromise in some regards, we succeeded in persuading major military powers to change their position even though they had strongly opposed this treaty in the past. In the end, they conceded certain critical points on which they previously refused to budge. This resulted in a solution which isn’t ideal for all the signatory countries, but is admittedly the best solution. Even though we have achieved so much with this treaty, we must not lose sight of our goal which is to ban any future use of cluster munitions, and prevent thousands of civilians from suffering during future conflicts and help those already affected.

Today we are still witness to thousands of civilians injured by cluster munition remnants, which has tragic consequences for the individuals themselves, their families and also their communities. There are also economic burdens involved for victims’ countries, since the cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation is very high, as well as problems caused by contamination of large areas, hampering agriculture, rebuilding of infrastructure and delaying development in general.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest gratitude to the countries that used to be major opponents of total ban, such as United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and others. I thank them now because in the end, they changed their position. They made this difficult decision and agreed to put their signature to the treaty. If my memory serves me well, Jody Williams once so beautifully stressed that Governments should not protect their stockpiles, but the lives of people. In that sense I salute these governments who eventually moved to revise their position on the matter and decided to stand on the path of common sense.

We are aware of the problems these countries face because of the huge amount of cluster munitions stockpiled all over the world. It was very brave of these countries to agree to destroy the stockpiles in the limited timeframe, provided for in the treaty. I know very well how long and difficult this job is, and that, it requires a lot of effort and dedication ensure it is done safely and properly.

I am convinced that all, the efforts made by the Cluster Munition Coalition during the talks with the signatory countries will yield concrete results. I also believe that, the signatory countries will fulfill their firm promises on time. I have every confidence in the integrity of, all the participants, nor do I believe that there will be any delays.

I would also like to use this opportunity to express my deepest regret that my native country, Serbia, is not among the signatory countries, even though Serbia actively participated in the process. It also organized a Conference for States Affected by Cluster Munitions in Belgrade in October 2007. At the final conference in Oslo, the moment of truth came and to my great disappointment, Serbia did not sign, which caused me great sadness and disappointment. At the time I asked myself: “Haven't cluster munitions caused enough suffering in my country? How many more dead, and injured, must there be, to make someone sign the treaty? How can it be possible that, my country is not part of that wonderful, and solemn moment in Oslo, when 94 countries signed the treaty.” I felt such incredulity, pain and melancholy. I just couldn’t understand the decision. I think the same is true for all of us living in affected countries that have not signed the treaty: like Cambodia, Tajikistan, Vietnam and some others. Still, I remain hopeful and believe some things have begun moving in the right direction lately. I want to believe in our officials’ promises, who, even before, said that, the signing would be delayed due, to some higher priorities, in the country at that time. I believe that, in the near future my country, will join the ranks, of the signatory countries, and in that way, will uphold the honor, of all of those, who fought for the treaty, and more importantly, all those who have suffered the effects, of these terrible weapons. I assure you that in the future I’ll do my best to make my country sign the treaty. Minister Martin, next time you see my Foreign Minister please ask him for me to sign the treaty!

Some of us might have thought that, after the signing in Oslo, everything would go smoothly, and that, we reach the end much sooner. However, we are all learning that this is a job that takes patience. For this reason, the award is going to be of great help to us, in the future, it will raise our morale and strengthen our resolve, to push forward stronger and harder than before, to bring this process to its completion.

This award will mean a lot for our future work. Future goals include not only the signing, and ratifying in the United Nations, of a hundred countries, but to aim for more than 150. Even then, we will not stop until every country in the world signs the treaty and ratifies it at the United Nations.

I want to say for the record that, the present economic crisis which so suddenly hit, the world should never be used, as an excuse, for not fulfilling the obligations of the convention and to not following every paragraph of the treaty. Legal obligations are legal obligations.

In conclusion, I would like to express once again my great gratitude for this beautiful gift which means so much to us all. For me personally, this is one of the most valuable gifts I have ever been blessed with. It shows me that, we are on the road to a better future, and that, we must keep the momentum and fight stronger and harder till, the very end. The award does not mean that we have gained victory, but that we must focus our efforts now more than ever. We have taken the first of many steps towards achieving success!

Thank you"

Branislav Kapetanovic