by Bronwen Maddox, Times Online, UK - More than 100 countries are turning up in Dublin with the aim of signing a pact by May 30 to ban at least some of these weapons, which fire clusters of little bombs. They are controversial because of their propensity to kill people — often civilians — outside the target, and to stay lethal across a wide zone, laying an instant minefield. Campaigners say that at least a tenth fail to explode on impact. But the line-up of countries in Dublin does not include the US, Russia, China, India or Pakistan — all of whom have significant arsenals — which have made clear they have no interest at all in such a pact.