Geneva, December 13 (RHC)-- At the UN offices in Geneva, Cuba lashed out at the double standard of some of the world's largest manufacturers and exporters of weapons of mass destruction.

The head of the Cuban delegation at the 5th Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Review Conference Rodolfo Benítez said in a communique that those same countries try to limit by all means the acquisition of far less sophisticated weapons by other states seeking purely defensive purposes.  

Benítez pointed to what he described as 'the huge gap between rich and poor nations in terms of weapons manufacturing, possession and trade,' saying it threatens world peace and stability.

The Cuban diplomat also described as a paradox the much trumpeted lack of resources for development, in a world where ever- larger sums of money are earmarked to manufacture ever more sophisticated, lethal conventional weapons. He added that the priority should be to control and limit the use of certain conventional weapons, which cause the largest casualties among civilians in today's wars.

The Cuban diplomat also urged the adoption of a binding instrument on the prohibition and elimination of the so-called fully autonomous weapons, also known as 'killer robots,' which are weapon systems that can select and fire upon targets on their own, without any human intervention.