BRIEF: Military Officials Meet to Simplify Rules of War

GENEVA, Switzerland - Military officers from 50 nations gathered on Monday in Geneva for a seminar focused on simplifying the laws of armed conflict.  The goal for these officials is to put international humanitarian law into language that can easily understood by soldiers before they engage in armed conflicts. 

The course will last for two weeks.  It is organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in conjunction with the Swiss Armed Forces.  It recognizes that the majority of casualties in recent wars have been civilians, and that this is an international problem that needs to be addressed. 

Top officials from the ICRC told the media that "By making international humanitarian law more easily understandable and accessible to military personnel, the ICRC hopes to give combatants the guidance they need to make the right choices." 

Hopefully, these leaders will take the important lessons of this seminar back to their home countries and fully educate their armed forces. 

For more information, please see:

Yahoo (Reuters) - Rules of war made simple for world military leaders - 3 November 2008