SPEAKERS IN PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR 2001 SMALL ARMS CONFERENCE CALL FOR RECOGNITION OF RIGHTS OF STATES TO SELF-DEFENCE

Press Release
DC/2683

SPEAKERS IN PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR 2001 SMALL ARMS CONFERENCE CALL FOR RECOGNITION OF RIGHTS OF STATES TO SELF-DEFENCE

As the Preparatory Committee for the 2001 Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons continued its general debate this afternoon, several speakers called for the recognition of sovereign rights of States to self-defence, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter

The representative of Israel, speaking during the general debate, said the Conference should adopt a comprehensive approach that would address both the rights of a country to defend its civilian population, as well as the eradication of the illicit traffic in small arms.

The representative of China said efforts to curb such illicit trade should not affect the legitimate rights of countries to own and transfer such arms, as those weapons represented an indispensable means to safeguard national security. The scope of the Conference should be confined to the question of illicit trade and its closely related issues. To expand it to the legal arms trade would not only go beyond the mandate of the relevant General Assembly resolution, but would also harm the sovereign right of developing countries to self-defence.

A number of speakers also referred to the role of small arms and light weapons in terrorism. The representative of Krygysztan said that, as a result of an illegal incursion of heavily armed persons last year, many of her country’s citizens had died. The taking of hostages, flows of refugees and associated violations of human rights were all proof that those arms and weapons were being used for terrorist activities.

The ready availability of small arms at absurdly low prices presented the greatest threat to the control of the illegal flow of those weapons, the representative of Cameroon noted. Therefore, the scope of the Conference should stretch beyond illicit trade and deal with other relevant areas, including the benefits of that trade to armed gangs and insurgents.

Other speakers addressed issues of the participation of non-governmental organizations and civil society in future sessions of the Preparatory Committee and the Conference.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Papua New Guinea on behalf of the South Pacific group of countries, Nepal, Malaysia, Madagascar, Guyana, Singapore, Liberia, Kenya, Belarus, Bulgaria and Iran.

The Preparatory Committee is scheduled to conclude its general debate tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Committee Work Programme

The Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects met this afternoon to continue the general debate of its first session. The Committee, scheduled to end its current session on Friday, 3 March, has been requested by the General Assembly to provide recommendations on all relevant matters, including a programme of action to the 2001 Conference, and to decide on its dates and venue.

Statements

PETER D. DONIGI (Papua New Guinea), on behalf of members of the South Pacific group of countries, said that his region had been experiencing an illicit flow of weapons, difficulties in implementing safe storage practices and law enforcement problems, which compounded to heighten the dangers posed by small arms to communities and civilians. While the transfer of military-style weapons posed a threat to the South Pacific, a major problem in some areas was the ready availability of old stocks of weapons in the civilian community.

He said that, in that light, countries of the region had developed a common approach to weapons control that focused on the illicit manufacture of, and traffic in, firearms, ammunition, explosives and other related materials. A subcommittee of the Oceania Customs Organization was also examining the role of customs in controlling traffic in small arms. He hoped that, along with initiatives by other regions of the world, the South Pacific group would work to strengthen the expanding international framework being established to address small arms issues.

HIRA B. THAPA (Nepal) said conflicts within States could be checked to a greater extent by stemming the steady flow of small arms and light weapons and their ammunition. Demands and supplies of those weapons should be curbed. While acknowledging the importance of regional and other initiatives, the current negotiations in Vienna for a protocol on the illegal manufacture and traffic in firearms -- to the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime -- could lay a firm foundation for an effective international response to the problem. Efforts to deal with the proliferation of small arms should be dealt with globally.

The Preparatory Committee should first deal with procedural matters, before tackling substantive questions of the Conference, he said. The Committee and the Conference should both take up the challenge of formulating practical solutions to the issue of small arms. To allow for the widest participation, the next sessions of the Preparatory Committee should be convened in New York. His delegation supported the holding of the Conference in Geneva, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should be allowed to attend the general debate of the Preparatory Committee.

MOHAMMAD KAMAL YAN YAHAYA (Malaysia) said the gathering of the large number of ministers at the Security Council meeting on the subject last September was a clear manifestation of the international community’s resolve to deal with the issue of small arms. Also, the meeting of a consultative group of experts held in May 1999 found that a study on restricting the manufacture and trade of small arms to manufacturers and dealers authorized by States was feasible in promoting national and international efforts to address the issue. He expressed satisfaction that, apart from Member States, civil society was also interested in combating the proliferation of small arms. Non-governmental organizations, with their wealth of experience and expertise on the ground, should be given the opportunity to participate in the Conference.

The Conference should be regarded as representing the common endeavour to curb the proliferation and indiscriminate use of small arms, he said. No region was immune to that threat or its devastating social, economic and political consequences. The Conference would provide the opportunity to increase public awareness and to further the small arms agenda. An international consensus was emerging on the nature, as well as on the root causes of the problem, and ways to tackle it. The Conference must translate that consensus into concerted international action.

SHEN GUOFANG (China) noted that to effectively eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, the international community should use a comprehensive and integrated approach, and seek solutions that were State or region specific. Efforts to curb the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons should not affect the legitimate rights of countries to own and transfer such weapons, as they represented an indispensable means to safeguard national security. China opposed such trade and had adopted a responsible attitude towards the manufacture and transfer of small arms and light weapons. It had participated in a number of international initiatives that dealt with arms control measures.

The scope of the Conference should be confined to the question of the illicit trade and its closely related issues, he stated. While recognizing that proper regulation of the legal trade in small arms and light weapons would prevent their illegal flow, the question of legal trade should not become subject to discussion at the Conference. Practical disarmament measures, such as collecting and destroying surplus small arms, should be limited to affected post-conflict areas that had an excessive accumulation of such weapons. To expand the scope of the Conference to the legal arms trade would call into question States’ sovereign rights to self-defence.

RADAFIARISOA LEA RAHOLINIRINA (Madagascar) stressed the need for cooperation at all levels to deal with the problem of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, which was a threat to international peace and security. Her country was seriously concerned about the proliferation of small arms. To tackle the problem effectively, the scope of the 2001 Conference should be expanded to include the legal trade in small arms and light weapons.

The Conference represented an ideal opportunity for the formulation of concrete plans, including in the area of information exchange, to eliminate the scourge, she continued. Regional and subregional initiatives and recommendations of experts could be tapped for the preparation of an action plan. The outcome of the Conference should be a legally binding international instrument on small arms to monitor every link in the trade -- from production, marketing and distribution.

She delegation supported the broadest participation in the Conference, and welcomed proposals designed to achieve that end. She also supported full participation of NGOs in the preparatory process and in the Conference itself. She hoped the deliberations of the Preparatory Committee would contribute to the establishment of an international consensus to combat effectively the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

ELMIRA IBRAIMOVA (Kyrgyzstan) said that, as a result of an illegal incursion of heavily armed persons during last year, many of her country’s citizens had died, were taken hostage or had been wounded. The taking of hostages, flows of refugees and associated violations of human rights were all proof that small arms and light weapons were currently being used for terrorist activities. In that light, she anticipated that the Conference would propose concrete recommendations for efforts to combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, including the elaboration of forms of technical assistance to States. For example, a process for retrieving information and data on that trade should be developed. Also, assistance should be given to States with transitional economies to allow their participation in the Conference.

SAMUEL R. INSANALLY (Guyana) said the success of the Conference would depend largely on the effectiveness of the preparatory process. The Preparatory Committee should assemble and categorize contributions made on the question of small arms and light weapons by governments and regional bodies, to facilitate its work at future sessions. Provision should be made for contributions from United Nations specialized bodies, because of the many technical aspects of the problem.

Civil society bodies, particularly NGOs, should be involved in the preparatory process, as well as in the Conference itself, he continued. As was seen in the campaign against the use of landmines, those organizations had been instrumental in securing a ban on that horrific genre of weapons. They might very well do the same with the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. The Preparatory Committee should look at the issue of illegal arms trade from all levels -– national, bilateral, regional and international –- to devise a holistic strategy to cover all concerns. It was important that consideration be given in the preparatory process, especially in choice of venue for the Conference, to the question of easy participation by all.

The outcome of the Conference could take the form of a declaration of commitment, accompanied by a programme of action, he said. The latter document could easily embody the many practical systems suggested so far, such as: best practices; registration; licensing; information and data exchange among law- national enforcement; and successful surveillance techniques. Ideally, he said the Conference should go beyond the prescription of such measures, to expedite agreement on a protocol to a Convention on Transnational Organized Crime.

YAP ONG HENG (Singapore) said problems associated with the illicit trade in small arms assumed many dimensions, including humanitarian, security, social and economic. However, the Conference should not deal with all of those, as at the end of the process very few concrete measures would be adopted to counter the problem. Instead, the 2001 Conference should focus on the illegal production and circulation of small arms and light weapons. The discussion could focus on losses of small arms from government stockpiles owing to lax national controls and the illicit diversion of legally traded small arms to the blackmarket.

In proposing measures to curb the illicit production and circulation of small arms and light weapons, the inherent right of States to individual and collective self-defence, as provided for the United Nations Charter, must be considered, he continued. Therefore, while it was essential to have strict and responsible policy controls on the ownership, production, safekeeping and transfer of such arms, States should not be deprived of the basic means for self-defence. Otherwise, there was the risk that those measures might not be universally and fully implemented, thus, negating their effectiveness.

FARES M. KUINDWA (Kenya) said the proliferation of small arms had not only provided the fuel for ongoing wars in Africa, but had also protracted and exacerbated them. The time had come for concrete initiatives to deal with the problem. It was propitious that the preparatory process and the Conference itself were being held against a background of increased awareness of the threats posed by the proliferation of small arms to peace, security and development.

He had noted the several initiatives taken to address the problem. He commended the initiatives taken by Mali and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to focus on the moratorium on the importation, exportation and manufacture of small arms. Efforts undertaken in other parts of the continent, particularly in southern Africa, were encouraging.

He said the success of the Conference would ultimately depend on efforts made to formulate proposals. The Preparatory Committee must come up with practical recommendations that could quickly be implemented. Attention should be paid to the retrieval of weapons in illicit circulation, which changed ownership with each new conflict. International support was required to help States carry out collection, storage and destruction of illegal weapons. There was also a need to address issues relating to the sale of arms and arms transfers, including licensing, marking and registration. The message of the Conference should be clear -- that the international community would no longer tolerate the uncontrolled flow of small arms.

He also called for programmes to assist the rehabilitation and reintegration of those affected by the illegal use of small arms, the majority of whom were women, youth and children. The preparatory process must consider how those issues could be tackled in a comprehensive manner, including adoption of legally binding instruments. He would welcome the participation of NGOs in the preparatory process and the Conference itself.

FAMATTA ROSE OSODE (Liberia) said that the end of the preparatory process lay in the successful implementation of recommendations, and of the pragmatic and realistic programmes of action that the Preparatory Committee would make to the Conference. The conflicts of the past decade were characterized by the systematic destruction of lives and properties, forcible displacement of persons, as well as the loss of a sense of justice and good neighbourliness. All of that had combined to undermine efforts at good governance, sustainable development, peace and security. Most of those conflicts had involved the use of small arms and light weapons.

The issue of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons was a challenge to all States and would require renewed coordination to combat that scourge, she noted. Liberia would continue to be engaged in efforts to curb that proliferation and, as a result, had embarked on an era of peace. The State’s disarmament exercise in 1997 had culminated in the destruction of weapons that had been collected in 1999. Liberia was also a signatory of the ECOWAS moratorium on the importation, exportation and manufacture of light weapons. However, the country still faced great dangers in addressing the arms problem, particularly with regard to the protracted civil war. The Government was determined to resolve the problem soon and would continue to rely on the support of the international community.

MEIR ITZCHAKI (Israel) noted that the issue of trade and trafficking of small arms and light weapons touched on the basic concerns of human rights and freedoms in civil society, as well as a variety of social and economic factors. Moreover, the most immediate threat to the stability of countries and civil society was the illicit circulation of small arms and light weapons. Therefore, a comprehensive and overarching approach that would address both the rights of a country to defend its civilian population, as well as the need to eradicate the illicit trafficking of small arms, must be adopted.

He favoured the establishment of a regional framework, so that regions, on the whole, could free themselves of the threat of small arms and terrorism. Israel was currently engaged in an ongoing peace process that was threatened when countries supported and armed terrorist groups, which used small arms and light weapons against the civilian population. He hoped that the cooperative initiative that was now emerging would reflect a new environment in the region. Israel was ready to participate in the global process and its extensive work and experience in the area could be directed towards a multinational approach.

ALYAKSANDR SYCHOV (Belarus) said his delegation agreed with the need for a common approach to dealing with the problem of the illicit trade and smuggling of small arms and weapons. It was one of the causes of international terrorism and internal conflicts. He welcomed the regional initiatives, which sought to introduce regional mechanisms to deal with the problem. Existing measures addressing the problem of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons should be strengthened and implemented. Early warning systems should be introduced in areas of conflict. Belarus had a law governing arms exports and violators were dealt with.

There was need a for the broadest possible representation in the Conference, particularly by those States directly affected by the problem of illicit trade in small arms, he said. Belarus supported participation of NGOs in the preparatory work, as well as the Conference itself. He called for a comprehensive approach to the final outcome of the Conference.

VLADIMIR SOTIROV (Bulgaria) said that regional measures for preventing the illegal traffic in small arms should be seen as a major aspect of post-conflict rehabilitation from certain war-torn areas in south-eastern Europe. Those measures should continue to evolve gradually while respecting legitimate security concerns and specific interests of each country in the region. During 1999, countries in south-eastern Europe had adopted a declaration in which they had expressed their readiness to intensify efforts to curb the illicit flows of small arms, by collecting illegally possessed quantities and ensuring their destruction.

Consequently, he said his Government had made a number of recommendations, including a review of relevant domestic legislation, where appropriate, to introduce strict mechanisms to control the illicit arms trade. Turning to the issue of arms export control regimes, he said that, following the adoption of two political documents at the regional conference on export controls, which had been held during 1999, the 12 countries participating in the conference had agreed on a number of concrete measures to combat illicit arms trafficking in the region. That was a contribution to fulfilling the common goal of the international community.

MARTIN BELINGA EBOUTOU (Cameroon) expressed satisfaction at the number of regional and international initiatives that had been undertaken to combat the scourge of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. He referred to the need to involve civil society, often the victims of the proliferation, in efforts to combat the problem. Furthermore, NGOs and civil society should participate in the preparatory process and in the Conference. The United Nations had also made praiseworthy efforts to put the issue of the illicit trade at the forefront of the international agenda.

The Conference would be a critical turning point for many States in unifying efforts to combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, he said. The ready availability of such arms and weapons at absurdly low prices presented the greatest threat to the control of the illegal flow of those weapons. The scope of the Conference should stretch beyond illicit trade and deal with other relevant areas, including the benefits of that trade to armed gangs and insurgents. Also, the management of surplus and stockpiles should be carefully reviewed, and a code of conduct or another binding legal instrument should be drafted by the Conference.

The Conference must recognize the real concerns of the populations which suffered most from the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. It was in that spirit that he supported holding one of the sessions of the Preparatory Committee in Africa.

HADI NEJAD HOSSEINIAN (Iran) said the excessive accumulation of small arms tended to prevent peace-building efforts in post-conflict areas. In those areas with excessive arms, United Nations peacekeeping operations faced impediments in enforcing ceasefires and strengthening peace-building. The proliferation of small arms and light weapons also prevented the return of ex-combatants to normal life.

In their region, he said the lack of responsible central authority in Afghanistan had encouraged people to ensure their own security by resorting to arms. That was contributing to an additional accumulation of small arms and light weapons. The situation was a source of concern to neighbouring countries.

The international community and civil society had paid special attention to the small arms problem, he said. It was time for a collective initiative to tackle the problem. The United Nations had a primary responsibility to help alleviate the suffering of innocent victims of armed conflicts. The convening of the Conference in 2001 was an appropriate response to that challenge, he said.

Two reports of the Secretary-General, prepared with the assistance of two expert panels, could guide the work of the Preparatory Committee. Some of the practical measures they contained, particularly the registration and marking of small arms, if adopted, could help alleviate the problems associated with the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, as well as illicit trafficking in them. Excessive production of small arms should also be thoroughly studied. Developed countries should consider enforcing national legislation to regulate their small arms production.

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