PRESS CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE ON SMALL ARMS

Small arms were a cancer on the moral conscience of the international community, former Prime Minister of France and Co-Chairman of the Eminent Persons Group on Small Arms, Michel Rocard, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference today. Also present were two other members of the Group -- Sola Ogunbanwo of Nigeria and Peggy Mason of Canada.

Mr. Rocard said that the Eminent Persons Group included such world leaders as the Presidents of Mali and Georgia, the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity, the Former Prime Minister of India, and foreign and defence ministers of Brazil, Cameroon, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Group intended to provide assistance to international efforts to curtail the supply of small arms and to promote a cooperative regulatory approach on the basis of a small arms control regime. On a preventive side, such a regime -- which should be broad in scope and global in reach -- should consist of a small arms register; strengthened national export controls; and an international code of conduct. On the reduction side, it should consist of weapons collection and reconstruction programmes, and conflict prevention strategies.

In modern warfare, there had been complete elimination of the formerly well- recognized distinction between combatants and the civilian population, Mr. Rocard said. Today, small arms were responsible for 90 per cent of war casualties. The majority of casualties were civilian, and children accounted for a quarter of the casualties. With 200,000 deaths annually, the human toll was rising, but the international trade in small arms remained largely unregulated. They exacerbated armed conflict, violence and crime and disrupted trade, tourism and investment. As a result, economic development and political stability were jeopardized, and social justice and peace were put at risk.

Reckless profiteers were permitted to fuel conflicts in an effort to gain control of natural resources, he continued. The trade in diamonds, oil and precious metals increasingly provided funds for illicit arms purchases. A dangerous "strategic triad" of political, criminal and commercial interests was fueling "the fires of annihilation". An oversupply of inexpensive small arms also threatened the State from abroad. The nation State system itself was in danger of collapsing under the burden of having to cope with the proliferation of small arms. As weapons routes criss-crossed entire continents, it was no longer necessary to be a neighbour to a conflict area to feel its ill effects.

With the majority of small arms originating in the industrialized North, he said, the majority of victims were scattered throughout the developing South. The five permanent members of the Security Council -- China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States -- accounted for 85 per cent of the global arms trade. Governments failed in their responsibility for controlling the end use of small arms exports. In the South, "an alliance of death" had sprung up among political and criminal elements. With near impunity, it was operating across national boundaries. In the North, there was a "complicity of silence" among those who stood to profit.

Basic morality suggested that it was time for the North to join with the South in confronting the humanitarian challenge head-on, he continued. Measures must be devised to limit the access to small arms and to curtail their supply and

Small Arms Press Conference - 2 - 29 February 2000

demand. The weapons of violence must be brought back under the control of public authority, with the State itself being made accountable for its deeds. In 2001, the United Nations would convene an international conference on small arms trafficking. This week, the first preparatory meeting for the conference was meeting. It was necessary to agree on an action-oriented agenda, and its objectives, goals and means needed to be spelled out.

Turning to the elements of small arms control regime advocated by the Group of Eminent Persons, Mr. Rocard said that a United Nations register on small arms could redress destabilizing large-scale transfers by means of improved management and control. Under it, governments would be required to declare production, stockpiling and transfer of small arms; to mark small arms; and commit themselves not to trade in unmarked small arms. That would hold markets and governments to higher standards of accountability.

National export controls must be strengthened and rigidly enforced, he continued. Human rights, terrorism and proliferation records must be considered, as well. It was necessary to develop model regulations on small arms transfers to confront new transitional threats. International "merchants of death" must be identified, apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. A comprehensive control regime should be put in place to regulate the activities of national and international agents engaging in small arms brokering. Government licensing requirements should be introduced for corporate and individual arms brokering.

An international code of conduct must promote national and multilateral responsibility, he said. Obligatory third party insurance should be required for every small arm produced or traded and original owners must be liable for the damages incurred by their small arms during the illicit phase of their life-cycle. There should be a clear distinction between the weapons legitimately available to military and law enforcement officers and those available to civilians. However, those measures did not aim at banning appropriate possession and use for sporting or self-defence purposes. The code must set measures to curtail the black market. Crossing the borders must not make one immune from prosecution. Small arms trafficking should also be made a treaty crime before the International Criminal Court.

In conclusion, he said that immediate action was needed. The will was undoubtedly there in many affected countries. The moratorium of West African States under President Konare's innovative leadership was a shining example of governmental self-restraint. To be successful, small arms control must centre on increased transparency, raised common standards and concrete and practical measures on the regional and global levels.

Asked about the status of the Group's proposals, Mr. Rocard said that legally, the Eminent Persons Group was "a small NGO, too young to be accredited as such to the United Nations". Technically, it was a member of International Action Network for Small Arms. The Group wanted its proposals to be received, analysed, discussed realistically. Such unrealistic proposals as the ban on small arms had not been included in the proposals.

In the past, such measures as a ban on biological and chemical weapons had been adopted, he continued. The same was true for landmines. Concerning small arms and light weapons, the ban was impossible, because they were a necessity for police and defence services. Also, the right to small arms was ensured by the constitutions of many Member States of the United Nations. The Group wanted its proposals to be shared. It wanted to be convincing. Many delegations to the

Preparatory Committee agreed with its views, and about 200 non-governmental organizations were working towards the same end.

Responding to a question about the response of arms manufacturers to the proposals, he said that such a problem had not yet been addressed. At the current stage, increased public awareness was important. Government diplomacy should also play its role. The Group was going to try to dispel numerous misunderstandings and offer mediation to overcome disagreements. Later, pressure on the manufacturers would become important. Gradual international pressure could expand and extend to many countries, as its legal basis grew. The manufacturers were not the biggest problem. The biggest problem was presented by the traffickers and merchants.

There was nothing new in the Group's list of proposals, a correspondent said. He wanted to know what kind of unique contribution that the Group was hoping to make. Mr. Rocard said the Group was going to mediate in international efforts to curtail the availability of small arms. It was planning to link civil society and governing authorities. The activists' experience, clarity of presentation and realistic approach would be helpful.

Ms. Mason added that timing was everything. There was a marked difference from previous excellent proposals. As Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament from 1989 through 1994, she had witnessed negotiations on a Conventional Arms Register. Only five countries at that time had said that small arms should be included in the Register. The idea of increased transparency in small arms had been ridiculed.

Clearly, that was not the case now, she said. Not least due to the efforts of civil society, there had been a change of attitude. Another aspect that made it different was the fact that small arms affected real people every day. Today, regulation of small arms was being looked at in a broader context in its interaction with humanitarian and development problems. Today, there clearly was momentum -- recognition by governments of the importance of the problem. The attendance at the Preparatory Committee meetings was very high, and that in itself demonstrated that the governments realized that the public expected them to address the problem of small arms.

Mr. Ogunmanwo then said that the cold war had been replaced by "hot peace". Africa was an example of that. In the past, African countries had been reluctant to deal with small arms issues, for they thought their "weapons of choice" would be taken away. Now they had seen the humanitarian toll of small arms on the populations. In that respect, education was important. African society was becoming aware of the small arms problem.

Asked what kind of pressure it was possible to put on Governments to find a solution, Mr. Rocard replied that many countries were willing to address the problem. A legal basis for such pressure was needed. A campaign to raise international awareness had already begun, and it was spreading.

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