The Defense Ministry is not authorized to independently decide on signing the Convention on Cluster Munitions and has sent its opinion on the matter to the Foreign Ministry and National Security Council, the defense minister's office told BETA on March 11.

The office also told BETA that the minister personally supports the signing of the convention.

Representatives of the Cluster Munition Coalition and Norwegian People's Aid on March 10 urged the Serbian government to sign the Oslo Convention, which envisages a ban on the manufacture, sale and use of such weapons.

Signing the convention would enable Serbia to apply for funds for demining and aid to victims.

Estimates say that, 10 years after the NATO bombing, there are over 2,500 unexploded cluster bombs in Serbia, the removal of which requires international assistance.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions was signed by 94 countries last year.