Second MSP-CCM: South Lebanon Stop #1, Sarafand
The second conference of States Parties to the Convention of Cluster Munitions was launched in Lebanon on Monday 12 of September, and will continue its schedule until Friday the 16th, with an international participation from over than 123 countries.
Some of these countries suffered from the cluster bombs and some others are helping the victims through organization and specialties.
The second Meeting in Lebanon came to continue the international action plan to change the lives of victims, and to safe others from being victimized. After the first conference that was held in Laos with a 40 states parties in the convention, the states parties adopted a plan of action that outlines 66 obligations to be achieve over the next five years.
Those states meet now in Lebanon in the second conference. Choosing Lebanon was because this country is considered as the second more cluster-bomb contaminated country.
The Lebanese Army organized a field trip to south Lebanon, one of them was to Sarafand, where there is a compound for the victims of cluster bombs, this compound is one of the centers in Lebanon that help the victims, and have them recountenue their lives all over again after they have been injured.
The departure of the trip was at 9:15 in the morning accompanied by the Lebanese army along the road till Sarafand, and after one hour the convoy reached the Nabih berry compound. Dr. Maha Jobaey the responsible of the compound and Colonel Hassan Fakih from the Lebanese army were the hosts to lead the participants to many places in the compound, and Dr. Jobaey was always leading the tour towards all the departments with brief details about each one.
Departments such as:
• Special education department
• Rehabilitation department
• Hospitalization department
• Physical therapy department
• Electrical therapy department
• Equatherapy department
• Artificial limbs department
After this tour inside the compound, there was a meeting in the theater with the head of the Lebanese welfare association for the handicapped, Lady Randa Berri. She had a speech about the history of the cluster bombs in Lebanon and how the Lebanese have been suffering from them since "Israel" was established. She raised the voice to ask: "In the name of what is "Israel" killing the children and sending bombs as toys to kill the children? Somebody has to stop this crime".
Most of the participants in the Sarafand field trip were victims of cluster bombs, such us Vietnamese, South Americans, and Lebanese.
Hussein is one of the Lebanese victims who lost his arm and his leg, working now in the compound in the artificial limbs department and helping other victims like him to pass it through.
All the participants came back to Beirut after the tour to join the opening ceremony in the evening, which was an official opening in presence of President Michael Suleiman, House Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najeeb Makati.
President Suleiman addressed a speech in the event to thank all the participants, and to stress on the importance of the continuation of clearance all the Lebanese territories from the cluster bombs.
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