2010-04-26 21:46

BEIJING - Chinese lawmakers began to review the Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War here Monday.

The State Council, China's cabinet, submitted the protocol to the 14th session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature. The Standing Committee's four-day meeting began Monday.

The protocol requires parties of an armed conflict to remove explosive remnants from their own territory, while the party which left the explosives must provide technical and financial assistance for the removal.

Countries which accept the protocol should also take general safety measures during the manufacture, storage and transfer of explosive weapons.

As of January, 61 countries had approved the protocol, including the United States, Russia and France.

The protocol first took effect in November 2006 as an annex to the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons which was established in Geneva in 1980.

The pact helps China request assistance from other countries in cleaning up explosive remnants in its territory and promotes China's participation in international efforts addressing the problem, according to the State Council report submitted to the NPC Standing Committee.