a landmark conference aiming to speed the elimination of unexploded munitions.

"The Lao PDR (People's Democratic Republic) is one of the most affected countries in the world by cluster munitions," he said in a speech opening the first meeting of states that are party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

The pact, which became international law on August 1, bans cluster bombs and entitles countries affected by them to financial help.

"Given (the) large scale of unexploded ordnance contamination, clearance and addressing its impacts on people's life remain a significant challenge for our national development and poverty reduction," Sayasone said, according to a prepared translation of his remarks.

"Against this backdrop, the Lao PDR needs to seek continued support from the international community."

Laos is one of Asia's poorest nations, an overwhelmingly rural country with about six million people.

"The experience of Laos is a daily reminder of why we must ensure that such weapons are never used again," Christine Beerli, vice-president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, told reporters.

Laos's National Regulatory Authority (NRA), which coordinates work on unexploded ordnance (UXOs), says the country is the most heavily-bombed nation on earth per capita, after the US war in neighbouring Vietnam spilled over between 1964 and 1973.

Among the weapons dropped were 270 million cluster bomblets, which had an average failure rate of 30 percent, meaning that an estimated tens of millions of them remain scattered across the country, the NRA said.

More than 1,000 government and military officials, charity workers and bomb victims, some of whom arrived in wheelchairs, have gathered for the four-day meeting -- a major event for the landlocked communist nation which has never hosted a global conference.

Hundreds of school children waving flowers lined the road to the theatre where the event opened.

Sayasone said the meeting is "of historical significance" towards implementation of the charter.

Launched from the ground or dropped from the air, cluster bombs split open before impact to scatter multiple bomblets over a wide area.

The bomblets can resemble a large flashlight battery or a tennis ball. Many fail to explode and can lie hidden for decades, posing a threat to unsuspecting farmers and children.

Norway was the first country to sign the convention, followed by Laos.

Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon have also suffered high numbers of casualties from leftover cluster munitions, said the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, a non-governmental watchdog.

After Laos and Vietnam, Iraq and Cambodia have the largest contaminated areas.

A total of 108 nations have signed the convention and more than 40 have ratified, which makes them full parties.

Vietnam is among those which have yet to sign.

"I strongly urge governments to join the convention," Thoummy Silamphan, a 22-year-old victim of unexploded munitions.

Speaking at the opening cermony, he recounted how aged just eight a bomblet blew off his left hand as he dug for edible bamboo shoots on the way home from school in rural Laos.

"We need your cooperation and for everyone to join together to help UXO victims," Thoummy said.

Sonam Yangchen Rana, the United Nations coordinator in Laos, said the country will need about 300 million dollars over the next decade to clear bombs to free up land for farming, assist victims, and educate youngsters about the danger.

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