GENEVA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday called for an immediate ban on the use of cluster bombs, which have had a horrible impact on civilians living in conflict areas.

    The Geneva-based humanitarian agency also called on states "to prohibit the targeting of cluster munitions against military objectives located in a populated area."

    Meanwhile, it urged countries to eliminate stocks of cluster bombs and, pending their destruction, not to transfer such weapons to other countries.

    "The ICRC believes the time has come for strong international action to end the predictable pattern of human tragedy associated with cluster munitions," Philip Spoerri, ICRC head of international law and cooperation, told a press conference.

    Spoerri said the ICRC would be issuing its appeal formally at a10-day review conference on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons which begins in Geneva Tuesday.

    "Sadly, the deadly legacy of these weapons (cluster bombs) is being demonstrated all too frequently, with additional states added to the list of affected countries every year or so," he said.

    Cluster bombs are air- or ground-launched canisters that can contain up to 650 individual submunitions, according to the ICRC.

    Although the submunitions are generally designed to explode on impact, they often fail to do so.

    It said in nearly every conflict in which they have been used, significant numbers of cluster munitions have failed to detonate, leaving a long-term legacy of contamination which continue to killand maim civilians years later.

    Spoerri said the situation in Lebanon since the recent conflict had again demonstrated the need for urgent action.

    He described many towns and rural areas in southern Lebanon as being littered with unexploded cluster submunitions that claimed many new victims each week.