GENEVA, Nov 28: Representatives of 92 countries on Friday adopted a protocol aimed at forcing governments to clear up unexploded weapons left behind after conflicts around the world, diplomats said.

The protocol on “explosive remants of war”, which have been dubbed “sleeping killers”, is due to come into effect once at least 20 countries have ratified it, they added.

It sets out an international obligation for governments to clear up unexploded bombs, shells, missiles, grenades and other munitions, which kill several thousand people, mainly civilians, long after wars have ended, according to aid agencies.

In a message to the negotiators who met in Geneva this week, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan described the leftovers of war as “sleeping killers which continue to threaten men and women in fields and children at play, endanger the lives of aid workers and hold back reconstruction and development”.

The protocol extending the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons marks the first time a legally-binding treaty on disarmament has been adopted at the United Nations since curbs on anti-personnel landmines were approved in 1996.—AFP