Cambodia's retired King Sihanouk supports ban on cluster bombs

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia's retired King Norodom Sihanouk, whose country remains littered with live explosives after decades of war, expressed support Wednesday for a new international treaty banning cluster bombs.

He said Cambodians and many other people around the world "have been affected by these man-made calamities" that "can and must be stopped."

Cluster bombs and shells are dropped from aircraft, fired in rockets or shot from artillery. A single round can spread hundreds of small, deadly explosives over a wide area. They can kill indiscriminately during an attack, but often fail to detonate and remain a threat to civilians long after fighting ends.

An estimated 4 million to 6 million unexploded weapons, including cluster bombs and land mines, remain buried in Cambodia after more than three decades of conflicts.

Sihanouk, 85, posted a statement on his official Web site saying he supported the Feb. 23 Oslo Declaration that launched a process to conclude a global treaty on cluster bombs in 2008.

"It is important that actions against these weapons be accompanied (by) commitment, dedication and patience to achieve the complete eradication of this cruel form of warfare," he wrote.

Sihanouk abdicated the throne in favor of his son Sihamoni in 2004 but is still revered by most Cambodians.