From the UN go-ahead to the first treaty on the trade in arms

NEW YORK – The first international treaty on the trade in conventional arms was approved by the UN general assembly. 154 votes were in favor, three against (Syria, North Korea and Iran) and 23 abstentions, including Russia.

It has been discussed for seven years: it is the first relevant text on disarmament, related to “classic” weapons, after the adoption of the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear tests (CTBT) of 1996. The historic resolution passed by a large majority and at the end of the vote, in the classroom, there was a long applause. The promoters include permanent members of the Council, such as France, Great Britain and the United States. The go-ahead for the treaty by the US has come in particular thanks to the change made by President Barack Obama. Without surprise, Syria, Iran and North Korea voted against: the same countries that last week blocked the unanimous green light, by a show of hands. Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia were also abstained beyond Russia.

Each country is free to sign the treaty and ratify it. Starting from the fiftieth ratification it will come into force and this could happen within a couple of years, according to some diplomats.

To date, no treaty regulated the global arms trade, whose turnover is estimated at around 60 billion dollars. Activists and some governments have been campaigning for more than 10 years to establish international rules to ensure that weapons do not end up in the hands of terrorists, rebels and organized crime. The treaty does not provide for checks on the internal use of weapons in individual countries, but asks governments to introduce national laws on the transfer of conventional arms and their components.

(02 April 2013)