The second session of the Conference of Government Experts on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons opened in Lugano's Congress Centre on 28 January 1976. The first session took place in Lucerne in 1974, when substantial useful work was accomplished. Because of the complexity of the problems arising from some of the suggestions and proposals put forward, and the acknowledged need to examine in depth all the data at present available and to pursue discussions which should lead eventually to wide agreement on possible prohibition or restriction of use, the experts considered that it would be advisable for the ICRC to convoke a second session of the Conference of Government Experts.