Preparatory Committee for the

United Nations Conference on

 the Illicit Trade in Small Arms

 and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects

13^th Meeting (PM)

ILLICIT SMALL ARMS TRADE MUST BE CONTROLLED TO PROTECT WORLD PEACE,

PREPARATORY COMMITTEE TOLD

The illicit small arms trade threatened world peace and security, so the international community must control and manage that highly complex problem, the Preparatory Committee for the 2001 small arms Conference was told this afternoon, as it continued its general exchange of views and its evaluation of a proposed draft programme of action aimed at eradicating that trade.

The Preparatory Committee is meeting in New York until 19 January to formulate draft final documents for the upcoming Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, which will be held in New York, from 9 to 20 July.

The representative of Malaysia added that a practical multi-level approach was required to deal with that threat.  A “holistic” perspective that embraced arms control and disarmament, post-conflict peace-building and social and economic development would go a long way towards solving the problem.  Several regional efforts to control the excessive accumulation and uncontrolled use of small arms could serve as models for a broader global approach. 

The greatest threat to the Middle East peace process was the trafficking of small arms and light weapons to terrorist groups, which used them against civilians, the representative of Israel explained.  That illicit trade affected civilians in his region and beyond, and the global community must seize the opportunity of the Conference to address in earnest that most devastating and complicated problem.  As the first international effort to tackle the issue, the Conference must also endeavour to produce a universally acceptable outcome.

Arms-procuring States must use the weapons they bought legally and must not allow them to fall into the hands of rebel groups or militias, the representative of Burundi warned.  Experience had shown that when legal small arms were obtained by rebel groups, it was only a matter of time before those groups used those weapons on the very people who had supplied them.  However, it was usually innocent civilians who suffered most.  The situation in Africa’s Great Lakes region was characteristic of the devastating effects of the illicit arms trade.

The representative of Pakistan said that States required weapons in order to protect their sovereignty and independence.  That was a right that could not be retracted, and unless and until there was a reduction in arms in a manner that provided States with collective security, they would continue to use them.  Indeed, they might destroy their weapons in order to replace them with newer and more deadly ones.  The accumulation of small arms had not, by itself, caused conflict, he added.  Addressing the root cause of war was the only way to eliminate it.

Following the general exchange of views, several delegations participated in a discussion on the language, format and contents of the preambular section of the Chairman’s proposed draft programme of action.  General agreement emerged that the preamble should define the context and convictions of the action plan. Suggestions ranged from  shortening it to eliminating duplication, while retaining language on the full scope of the problem.  Several delegations sought to preserve references that reaffirmed the international community’s commitment to preserve States’ sovereignty.

Comments on the proposed draft programme of action were made by Sweden on behalf of the European Union, China, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Canada, Cuba, Syria, Mexico, South Africa, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Indonesia, Israel, and Pakistan.

General statements were also made by the representatives of Indonesia, Mozambique, Guyana, Republic of Korea, Chile, Nigeria, and Nepal.

The Preparatory Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Wednesday,

10 January, to continue its exchange of views.

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 its week-long exchange of views on the Chairman's proposal for a draft programme of action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects (document A/CONF.192.PC/L.4).

      Statements

MARC NTETURUYE (Burundi) said it was essential that arms-procuring States use the weapons they bought properly and did not allow them to fall into the hands of rebel groups or militias.  Experience had shown that when legal small arms were obtained by rebel groups, it would only be a matter of time before those groups would use those weapons on the very people who had provided them.  Moreover, it was usually innocent civilians who suffered most.  The situation in Africa’s Great Lakes region was characteristic of the devastating effects of the illicit trade in small arms.  Civilians and peaceful settlements were attacked daily.

He went on to say that international cooperation was a matter of utmost urgency in order to combat the plague of illicit arms trade.  Broad global participation was the only way to bring the entire chain of events surrounding the trade in illegal arms -- production, transfer, diversion and subsequent illegal use –- under control.  Customs officials and border monitoring agencies would be crucial in this regard.

TARIQ JAVED (Pakistan) said his delegation considered the illicit small arms trade to be a very serious challenge.  All of his proposals were designed towards the success of the United Nations Conference.  Imposing sanctions without addressing the root cause of the problems that gave rise to war in the first place, would not lead to the achievement of the United Nations objectives.  States required weapons in order to protect their sovereignty and independence; that was a right that could not be retracted.

He said there were two distinct aspects which should be reflected in the action programme.  Without addressing the root cause, the conflicts would not go away.  At the same time, the accumulation of small arms had not, by itself, caused the conflicts.  Unless and until there was a reduction in arms in a manner that provided States with collective security, they would continue to use them.  If States continued to invest in lethal arms for warfare, it was questionable whether any international law or transparency measures would stem the flow of small arms and light weapons.  States would destroy their weapons, only to acquire newer and more deadly ones in their place.

Expanding the categories of small arms and light weapons to include advancements in warfare technologies would be an important step, he said.  Any definition of small arms and light weapons must also include weapons that would bear on future conflicts.  Identification of facilities involved in the global manufacture of advanced small arms must be implemented voluntarily.  State by State, the Security Council might compile a list of total arms produced over the last decade, to include their rate of replacement, and their approval and receipt.  Such an assessment should take into account the availability of arms in other States in the region.  Current alliance structures and their effects might also be reviewed, as well as the stockpile requirements of individual States. 

He said his recommendations could be integrated into future peacekeeping operations.  Once negotiations started in earnest, he would elaborate his position.  It was, meanwhile, important to make preliminary mention of certain points.  This would be followed by a formal and written presentation of alternatives and strategies.  Any discussion of follow-up measures, as contained in the Chairman’s proposed draft programme of action, was premature at this stage.  Once agreement was reached on the preceding sections of the action plan, delegations would be better positioned to discuss follow-up.

YURI THAMRIN (Indonesia) said the question of the illicit trade in small arms needed to be dealt with urgently.  Taking up such a complex issue would, among other things, require the Committee to address the vulnerability that many developing countries would suffer as a consequence of arms embargoes.  Small arms and light weapons were needed to protect many countries and ensure their sovereignty.  To that end, any negotiated text must adhere to the principles of the United Nations Charter, particularly as regards sovereignty and the principles of non-interference.

He went on to say that the outcome of the 2001 Conference should serve to combat international terrorism and other organized criminal activities, enhance peace-building efforts, monitor the flow of illicit weapons to rebel groups, and prevent the distribution of arms used to destabilize nations.

He said that it was necessary to simplify the preambular paragraph of the draft programme of action before the Committee.  That section should conform to the General Assembly’s original mandate.  He also encouraged the Committee to work toward expanding the section on international cooperation.  He added that developing a comprehensive and workable follow-up mechanism was very important.

MEIR ITZCHAKI (Israel) said that the greatest threat to the Middle East peace process was the trafficking of small arms and light weapons to terrorist groups which used them against civilians.  That practice illustrated the effect of the illicit arms trade on civilians, in his region and beyond.  Hopefully, the international community would seize the opportunity to address that problematic and most complicated issue in a serious manner.

He said that the Chairman’s proposed action programme reflected a serious effort to provide a draft that represented a political commitment to tackle the devastating problem.  The working paper, however, was still in an embryonic stage, and required more work.  Since the current draft touched on issues that went way beyond the scope of the mandate, efforts must be made to clarify the matters at hand.  The mandate of the Conference, as embodied in General Assembly resolution 54/54 V, was to focus exclusively on the problem of illicit trafficking.  Since it was the first international effort in that regard, a document must be produced which was acceptable to all.  Any unnecessary link to unrelated issues should be avoided. 

Regarding the right to self-determination, he said his Government had opposed the use of that term as a pretext to legitimize terrorism, especially in the context of the illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons.  Self-determination of States should be attained in a peaceful manner via peaceful means.  Further, the current text omits the role of regional frameworks in tackling the issue.  A way should be found to reflect the crucial importance of the regional framework in a more concrete way.  Moreover, international instruments should be used to complement regional ones.  Together, they would build confidence.

He said that the Conference should focus exclusively on the illicit aspect of the small arms trade without impeding States’ sovereignty.  Mechanisms for export controls should be enhanced and standardized guidelines must be put more explicitly in place.  The export of firearms to terrorists or non-legitimate regimes, non-State actors not authorized by governments, and to areas where an internal conflict exists, only fueled and exacerbated conflict.

ANTONIO INACIO (Mozambique) said that the draft programme of action before the Committee was comprehensive and well balanced and would be a good starting point.  The proliferation of small arms was a matter of life and death for many nations, he added, and the international community should assume its duty to ensure this problem was addressed promptly and in a comprehensive manner.  In that regard, the success of the work of the Committee would lie in producing a comprehensive and workable programme of action and follow-up mechanism.

KOREEN SIMON (Guyana) said he hoped to be able to finalize, at the current session, the issues of the modalities for the attendance of non-governmental organizations and the draft rules of procedure of the Conference.  Hopefully, before the conclusion of the current session, the agenda and objectives of the July Conference could be considered.  There were time constraints, given that just one more preparatory session was scheduled.  The present session should strive to resolve as many substantive issues as possible.

The formatting of the final document should be done at a later time, and delegations should desist from commenting on that.  The preamble of the draft programme of action should relate to the rest of the text.  In paragraph 15 of the preamble, for example, concern was expressed about the close link between terrorism, organized crime, the drug trade, and the uncontrolled spread of small arms and light weapons, yet no effort had been made to link those issues in the rest of the text.  Regional Latin America and the Caribbean meetings had been held last November, at which representatives had acknowledged the link between drug trafficking and other criminal activities with the arms trade.  That link should be addressed in the final document. 

LEE KIE-CHEOL (Republic of Korea) said that, while the Chairman’s proposed draft programme of action was comprehensive, further improvements were required. It was imperative that reduction and prevention methods be more clearly identified.  That would be most important to address problems in areas plagued by constant conflict.  The Committee must also work to identify the scale of the problem.

He went on to say that specific regional characteristics of the illicit arms trade must also be taken into account.  The international community must enhance measures to tackle illegal trafficking with that in mind.  His delegation viewed the 2001 Conference as the main forum for international action in area.

WALDEMAR COUTTS (Chile) said that small arms and light weapons had destabilized and damaged societies in many parts of the world, and had directly affected good governance, human rights, security, and economic and social development –- and thereby threatened democratic systems of government.  The illicit trade had directly exacerbated other plagues, such as drug trafficking and organized crime.  There was a universal need to adopt multi-disciplinary measures to urgently stem that trade.  Cooperative schemes should also be bolstered, while taking into account the shared international responsibility. 

He said that the Chairman’s draft action plan was an excellent basis for the Committee’s work, as it included various critical dimensions, including a reference to the role of civil society, one to the urgent need to also control legal transfers of light- and medium-weight weapons, and a reference to the promotion of shared information. 

Mr. OGUNBANWO (Nigeria) said his delegation would like to see the product of the Conference contained in one final document which would contain a political declaration and comprehensive plan of action.  Regional cooperation would provide the building blocks for global action on the issue of the illicit arms trade.  In that regard, the Bamako ministerial declaration might be an essential guideline for the Committee’s work.  He hoped that those suggestions would lead to a goal-oriented plan of action.

He went on to say that the affect of small arms in Africa was real.  Indeed, the country was awash in illicit small arms.  He drew the Committee’s attention to the need to emphasize the role of conflict-prevention methods and peaceful conflict negotiations in the proposed programme of action.  The Committee should also consider the importance of post-conflict mechanisms, such as weapons collection and destruction, as well as the issue of child soldiers. He hoped that the 2001 Conference would define parameters for broad cooperation on these issues.  Finally, he said that the issue of licit and illicit arms had proved very sensitive, but perhaps it could be dealt with in terms of preventing the diversion of legal arms for illegal activities.

REZA RAJA ZAIB SHAH (Malaysia) said that the illicit small arms trade had threatened international peace and security.  It was, therefore, incumbent upon the international community to work towards greater control and management of that highly complex problem, for which a practical approach taken at the country, regional and global levels was required.  The problem must be addressed from the “holistic” perspective, taking into account arms control and disarmament, post-conflict peace-building and socio-economic development. 

Several regional organizations had striven to control the excessive accumulation and uncontrolled use of small arms. 

In the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, he said, work had begun in earnest on that issue, particularly in the context of the Asian Regional Forum.  Also welcome was the convening of two related regional meetings.  Beyond governmental and intergovernmental arrangements, an important role was being played by non-governmental organizations and other non-government actors.  They were increasingly involved, including in the mobilization of resources.  The convening of United Nations Conference in July would be an excellent opportunity for an in-depth analysis of all aspects of the illicit arms trade.  It should be focused and action-oriented, and draw upon the experiences of regional approaches to the problem.

HIRA THAPA (Nepal) believed that there was room for improvement to the Chairman’s proposed draft programme of action.  While the issues of the licit and illicit trade and the prohibition of the unrestricted flow of small arms had proved contentious, it should be made clear that State actors should in no way be constrained from exercising their legitimate rights to protect their own sovereignty.  The international community should work to ensure that legally imported small arms did not fall into the wrong hands.  He added that promoting a culture of peace, properly maintained by the international community, was the only way to ensure the complex issues surrounding the illicit arms trade could be addressed.

Initial Comments on Proposed Draft Action Plan

The Committee then turned to a detailed review of the content, language and format of the proposed preambular section of the proposed draft.  There was general agreement that the preamble should define the context and convictions of the action plan.  Suggestions ranged from drastically shortening the preamble to eliminating duplication, while recognizing the urgent need to capture the full scope of the problem.

While some delegations emphasized the need to simplify the language of many of the preamble’s paragraphs, others sought to preserve the immediate nature of some specific references.  That was particularly true of

paragraphs 13, 14 and 27, all of which reaffirmed the commitment to preserving the sovereignty of States within the framework of the Charter.  Indeed, it was suggested that the language of those paragraphs should not be jeopardized, but enriched.  There were further recommendations that references to the right to safeguard national security should open the preamble.

Following the Committee’s consideration of the Preamble, the CHAIRMAN thanked all delegations for their contributions on how the text could be improved. He acknowledged that some had indicated that they would wish to present proposals in writing at a later stage, which would be helpful in facilitating revision of the text.

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