By KUNA,
Geneva : The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Wednesday that state experts representing 17 countries have agreed on a new set of recommendations to enhance state control over private military and security companies.
They have also reaffirmed the obligations of states to ensure that these private contractors abide by international humanitarian law.
This agreement was signed in a meeting in Montreux sponsored by the Swiss Foreign Ministry.
The ICRC has been associated with the initiative since the beginning.
The ICRC’s Director for International Law Philip Spoerri, commenting on the agreement, said that it will enhance the protection of people affected by armed conflict.
“The document clearly reaffirms the fact that military and security contractors dispatched to war zones must comply with international law, and that states have a particular responsibility for ensuring compliance. It is now very important that states take concrete measures to prevent violations from occurring and to hold contractors to account for unlawful behavior,” he added.
The Montreux document, which is not legally binding, outlines for the first time ever detailed and practical measures to help States enhance compliance with international humanitarian law and ensure respect for human rights.
The 17 countries that participated in the initiative are Afghanistan, Angola, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Iraq, Poland, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the USA.