A total of 94 nations began the process of signing the Convention on Cluster Munitions treaty, which aims to ban the weapon, at a conference in Oslo, Norway, from 2-4 December. Norway, Ireland, the Holy See and Sierra Leone also ratified the convention, which will come into force six months after the 30th nation signs it. Implementation of the treaty, however, comes into effect immediately. In a surprise last-minute change to those committing to the convention, Afghanistan became a signatory, it had not previously committed to the process due to pressure from the US, said Marc Garlasco, Senior Military Analyst at the Human Rights Watch (HRW), but "now it's been signed by so many [18] NATO allies and with a new [US] administration coming in, they decided to come on board".
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