Sixty-first General Assembly

First Committee

13^th Meeting (PM)

SMALL ARMS TRAFFIC FUELS CONFLICTS, UNDERMINES STABILITY, DEVELOPMENT

FIRST COMMITTEE TOLD IN CONTINUED DEBATE

 

Small arms and light weapons killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people every year, seriously hampering the stability and security of many regions and minimizing prospects for development and prosperity, the representative of Moldova told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) this afternoon, as the Committee continued its debate on conventional weapons.

He noted that illegal production and trafficking in such weapons provided financial support for the internal conflict in Moldova’s Transnistrian region and its separatist regime.   When it came to that region, the provision of the small arms programme of action appeared to be not very high on the agenda of the Russian Federation.   Further, he said that the development of a framework convention on international arms transfers was achievable since many of the proposed principles were based on States’ existing obligations.  A step-by-step approach in elaborating such a treaty was reasonable, since not all States had agreed to conclude compulsory instruments regulating the arms trade.

The representative of Israel said that States had the legitimate right to use conventional weapons to ensure their security and defence, yet their use by terrorists and for organized crime could have a clear destabilizing impact.  The Small Arms Review Conference should have encouraged the international community to address the illicit aspects of weapons transfers, rather than trying to regulate legal and legitimate arms trade.  The inclusion of man-portable air defence systems in the Conventional Arms Register, as a sub-category under missiles, was a significant achievement.  Those weapons posed an unquestionable threat to civil aviation and deserved special consideration.

The representative of Indonesia welcomed the process of negotiating an arms trade treaty, which would lead to the establishment of a common international standard on the import, export and transfer of arms.  Indonesia did not object to the treaty, as long as it did not hamper transfers between Governments for security needs.  Such standards should take into consideration the views of many States, including developing countries, which mainly imported such weapons.  To ensure adequate representation on the matter, not only should the upcoming Group of Government Experts meeting fulfil the requirement of equitable geography, but it should also represent the widest spectrum of views.

Francois Rivasseau, President-designate of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, said the Convention had managed somewhat to escape the disarmament crisis.  It was the only region that had produced a legally-binding treaty that was negotiated, signed and ratified in the last five years.  The protocol on explosives and remnants of war would enter into force on 12 November.  As an authentically multilateral regime that was not polarized by mandate, it was open-ended and could negotiate on the subject of the day.

Statements in the thematic debate on conventional weapons were also made by representatives of Costa Rica, Kenya, Japan, Switzerland, and Norway.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m., Monday, 16 October, to continue its thematic debate on conventional weapons, begin its debate on other disarmament measures and international security, and hear the further introduction of draft resolutions and decisions.

Background

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this afternoon to continue its thematic debate on conventional weapons and hear the introduction of several draft texts.

Statements

FRANCOIS RIVASSEAU ( France), President-designate of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, said the regime was relatively successful and had managed to somewhat escape the disarmament crisis.  It was the only regime that had produced a legally-binding treaty that was negotiated, signed and ratified in the past five years.  The protocol on explosives and remnants of war would enter into force on 12 November.

The regime found itself at the juncture between disarmament and humanitarian law, he said.  Because of the high humanitarian aspect, it naturally enjoyed the sympathy typical of humanitarian causes.  That synergy between disarmament and humanitarian aspects was one of reasons for the regime’s relative success.  The philosophy of the Convention regime was humanitarian because it was intended to reduce useless suffering.  The Convention was not well known, and maybe that was part of its success.  In disarmament affairs, to avoid ideological polarization, “to live happy, live in hiding”.  For 10 years, the regime had been hidden by the great success of the Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel mines.

He said that it was an authentically multilateral regime, one that was not polarized by mandate.  Negotiations took place even in the absence of a negotiating mandate.  States were not tied by opinions of the International Court of Justice, time frames or mandates to negotiate.  The regime was open-ended and could negotiate on the subject of the day.  For example, States were currently saying that cluster munitions were the subject of the day.

As for the upcoming Review Conference, a draft on Protocol V had been agreed to and there was a co-sponsorship program to universalize the Convention, he continued.  What remained to be done was to achieve agreement on three topics.  One was achieving a mechanism to ensure respect for the convention.  On explosive remnants of war, Protocol V had been concluded and would be presented to Member States.  The topic requiring the most work was mines, other than anti-personnel landmines, namely ATV mines, which had been a subject of study by the Convention for about four years.

JORGE URBINA (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the Central America Integration System, said that anti-personnel land mines caused the loss of human life and prevented fertile land from being used for agriculture.  The latter had an important economic impact and clearing land mines was vital to populations.

During the 1980s and 1990s, conflicts within Central America led to the installation of thousands of mines, affecting those countries both with internal conflicts and without.  His delegation had requested Organization of American States assistance to begin de-mining operations and the organization had helped to increase the de-mining abilities of affected countries.  Both Spain and Mexico were important contributors to that effort.  He reiterated the need to eradicate anti-personnel land mines.  Evidence of the importance Costa Rica placed on the issue could be found in its ratification of the Ottawa Convention.  None of the countries for whom he was speaking were producers or exporters of such weapons, he noted.

He said that, though Costa Rica and Honduras had not seen armed conflict, they were still affected by mines in their border areas.  They had been declared mine-free in 2002 and 2004, respectively.  El Salvador faced a serious problem because of armed conflict starting in 1980, but it was now mine-free as well.  Nicaragua was likewise affected.  She added that an International Humanitarian Mine Removal Centre, in Nicaragua, had been established, with a budget of $4 million.  She believed that de-mining operations were essential to strengthening regional peace.

Ms. KAGOSHA ( Kenya) said that small arms had greatly affected the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regions.   Kenya remained committed to combat small arms in all its aspects and, in so doing, had developed a national action plan, set up task forces and ensured participation of civil society.  On the regional level, Kenya, with 10 other countries, had signed the Nairobi Protocol and was also a signatory to a joint disarmament initiative.  Successful governmental negotiations had taken place in Somalia and further success was evidenced in the signing of a recent peace agreement in the Sudan.

Yet, she continued, Kenya still bore the burden from the trade in small arms.  Many refugees from Somalia had aggravated that situation.  There was, thus, an urgent need to control the trade in small arms.  Her Government would ensure that standards were applied universally, leading to the saving of lives and granting of sustainable development for all.  Furthermore, Kenya believed that the support shown for the arms-trade treaty was encouraging, and urged all States to support that initiative.

YOSHIKI MINE ( Japan) said that there had been some major achievements on implementing the Small Arms Programme of Action.  There had been the adoption of an international instrument on marking and tracing.  There was a growing rate of submission of national reports, as well as an increase in the number of National Points of Contact.  To address the small arms problem, coordination among internal agencies was indispensable, as was information sharing among countries.  He encouraged those countries, which had not yet done so, to submit a national report and establish or designate a National Point of Contact.

He said that the draft resolution on small arms and light weapons, to which Japan had contributed, laid out a concrete roadmap for global efforts.  The lack of a final document at the recent Review Conference on the Programme of Action was not necessarily a negative outcome.  There had been a very good exchange of views and attention had been focused on the issue.  For that reason, one could say that the Conference was, for the most part, successful.  Such efforts should continue within the framework of the United Nations.

He said that the inclusion of transparency in armament in the draft on small arms and light weapons required careful consideration, since a specific resolution on transparency already existed and the two drafts differed in scope.  Nonetheless, efforts to strengthen confidence-building measures through improved transparency should be continued.  When that issue was brought up for consideration, the contribution of the United Nations Register on Conventional Arms could not be discounted.  In recent years, more than 110 countries had registered every year and, as of 2004, 170 countries had registered at least once.  The Arms Register’s reliability was being improved, and it was important to strive for its universalization.

Cooperation between the United Nations and the Conference on Disarmament in the field of transparency should be strengthened.  The first step would be to seriously study the on-going activities made at the national, regional and global levels, and to identify problems requiring more action.  The establishment, in the future, of a feedback mechanism on the achievements of each forum would be extremely helpful.

Efforts towards the creation of an arms-trade treaty should also be given due attention.  Assuring the responsible transfer of arms through such a treaty, and registering them in accordance with the United Nations Register were mutually reinforcing measures.  Japan did not, in principle, export arms to other countries and believed that the international community should make further efforts to effectively regulate the transfer of conventional weapons by establishing a well-defined set of principles.

JURG STREULI (Switzerland) said that he wished to focus on the following four core issues; the Programme of Action on small arms; the draft resolution on the arms-trade treaty; the United Nations Register on Conventional Arms and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.  On the Programme of Action, Switzerland attached great importance to its implementation, supported the follow- up process and the biannualization of the meetings no later than 2008.  His Government underlined the importance of the impact of armed violence on development.  Forty two countries had already adopted the Geneva Declaration on Arms and Development.

On the draft resolution on the arms-trade treaty, his Government promoted transparency and stability and saw the need to put arms transfers under the control of mutually-agreed principles.  Switzerland was a co-sponsor of the draft resolution and was prepared to contribute significantly.  It was imperative that there be common international standards for the import and export of arms.

On the United Nations Register on Conventional Arms, he said it was an important confidence-building measure and his Government had actively participated since 1993.  He also noted that this year’s group of experts had reached consensus on a document that contained a number of improvements.  However, it remained more relevant to some States than to others and he, thus, advocated the inclusion of an eighth category on small arms.

On the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, he welcomed it as a dynamic instrument capable of adequately adapting.  The negative human effects caused by such weapons were still unacceptable.  Protocol V had already been ratified by Switzerland, but broader and more concrete measures were necessary and he advocated the establishment of a new, legally-binding protocol.

MEENA SYED ( Norway) said that conventional weapons had a legitimate role in strategies to defend States.  They also had a heavy impact on the humanitarian situation and human rights.  A constant flow of illicit weapons had become an often-seen feature of conflict, regardless of whether sanctions were in place or not.

Among the chief concerns for Norway was the need to take the decisive first steps towards an arms-trade treaty, she said.  She also emphasized the need to implement the Programme of Action on small arms, while stressing the importance of measures to include ammunition in regulating the flow of conventional weapons.  Furthermore, it was imperative to address certain cluster munitions and other types of ammunition that caused a humanitarian problem.  Finally, her Government was a staunch supporter of the Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel mines and commended Australia for establishing a bi-annual schedule for meetings of the Convention.

JOSHUA ZARKA ( Israel) said that States had the legitimate right to use conventional weapons to ensure their security and defence, yet their use by terrorists, or in organized crime, could have a clear destabilizing, strategic impact. The sad reality in the Middle East combined extensive armaments, illicit transfer of arms to terrorists and hostile intentions.  Terrorism could not sustain itself without the assistance of States providing it with support and safe havens.  As witnessed in the last conflict in his region, the use of conventional weapons by terrorists had a major destabilizing regional and global potential.  Furthermore, Israel supported the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).  It was clear to all that the flow of arms to the Hezbullah must be immediately and completely stopped, he added.

On transparency, Israel had responded annually to the United Nations Register regarding its seven categories of major battle weapons, despite the lack of trust that existed in his region.  His Government also saw the irresponsible use and transfer of conventional arms as a serious threat to security to prevent misuse and proliferation of arms, States must undertake marking and recording procedures for all weapons, rigorous export control and the securing of stockpiles and appropriate national legislation.

On the United Nations Programme of Action, the outcome of the Review Conference needed to encourage the international community to adopt a focused approach to identify concrete measures that could address the illicit aspects of small arms transfer, rather than trying to regulate the legal and legitimate arms trade, he said.  Moreover, the fact that some States had chosen to divert the focus of the conference to venues remote from the issue of illicit trade of small arms, posed serious questions on the effectiveness of the follow-up process.

On man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), he said that their inclusion as a sub-category under category 7, dealing with missiles, was a significant achievement.  Their inclusion in the register was made as an exception, as that type of weapon system was attractive to terrorist groups and was a legitimate means of defence for States.  The problem of illicit proliferation and the use of MANPADS encompassed a variety of issues, such as the control and monitoring of those types of weapons, preventing transfers to non-state actors -– in particular to terrorists -- airport security, aircraft protection, scientific cooperation, collection and destruction of old and surplus missiles, safeguarding storage facilities, technological improvements to prevent unauthorized use and similar issues.  The threat those weapons posed to civil aviation was unquestioned.

ALEX TULBURE ( Moldova) said that hundreds of thousands of people were killed and injured every year by small arms and light weapons, which seriously hampered the stability and security of many regions and minimized prospects for development and prosperity.  Moldova was strongly committed to implementing the Programme of Action to eradicate the illicit trade in such weapons.  It had made progress in improving legislation to cover arms exports, transfers and civilian possession.  The stock of weapons potentially available for illicit circulation had been continually reduced through seizures, and a high stockpile security had been achieved, which was reflected in the low occurrence of thefts from national stocks.

He said that the unresolved conflict in the eastern region of Moldova, which was controlled by a separatist regime, remained a serious threat to political and economic stability.  The lack of control over the region and its borders strongly limited the Moldovan Government’s implementation and enforcement of its commitments to restrain small-arms proliferation.  The region remained an area of illegal production and trafficking in such weapons, which provided a continuous source of funding for the separatist authorities.  When it came to the Transnistrian region, provisions of the Programme of Action and existing multilateral instruments in arms control and verification appeared to be not very high on the agenda of the Russian Federation.  Withdrawal, in good faith by the Russian Federations of its troop and armaments in accordance with the 1999 Istanbul Summit decisions, would decisively facilitate the settlement of the internal conflict.

He said that Moldova recognized the values of the proposed arms-trade treaty, since it was a country with an irreducible internal conflict.  Foreign troops were stationed illegally on part of its territory, which was not controlled by the central Government and where illegal production and trafficking of light weapons had been registered and where human rights were being violated by a separatist entity supported from abroad.  In particular, Moldova strongly supported the principles seeking to prevent the unlawful transfers of conventional arms and stem the destabilizing accumulations of small arms.  The development of a framework convention on international arms transfers was achievable, since many of the proposed principles were based on States’ existing obligations.  The proposed step-by-step approach in elaborating such a treaty was reasonable, given that not all States had agreed to conclude compulsory instruments regulating the arms trade.

WITJAKSONO ADJI ( Indonesia) said that small arms and light weapons prolonged human suffering and prevented economic development.  It was disappointing that the Review Conference could not provide a mandate.  It was important that all countries made joint efforts at follow-up within the context of the United Nations.  Indonesia supported the omnibus resolution and looked forward to the Group of Governmental Experts next month and hoped it would resolve the serious gap in addressing the small-arms and light-weapons trade.

On the arms-trade treaty, he welcomed the process leading to the establishment of a common international standard on the import, export and transfer of arms.  Indonesia was flexible and did not object to the treaty, as long as it did not hamper transfers between Governments for security needs.  Such standards should take into consideration the views of many States, including developing countries, which mainly imported such weapons.  To further ensure representation on the matter, not only should the Group of Governmental Experts fulfil the requirement of equitable geography, but it should also represent the widest spectrum of views across the board.  In that respect, the Secretary-General had a role to play.

He said he was encouraged by the Group’s decision to strengthen the Register of Conventional Arms, including by providing the option of a standardized form in reporting weapons.  He welcomed the reduction of the reporting threshold for warships and submarines from 750 to 500 metric tonnes, which would reduce the chances for misunderstanding and miscalculation.  He hoped the report would contribute to increasing participation and maintain its relevance.

On anti-personnel landmines, he said that Indonesia had been among the first to sign the Ottawa Convention.  The ratification process had been delayed by multidimensional crises, which had required collective energy to address.  The economic and political transition since 2004 had given new momentum to ratifying the treaty.  Being late in ratification did not indicate a lack of commitment to the treaty or its universality.  Indonesia was a non-user, non-producer, and non-affected country, which was committed to the spirit and purpose of the Convention.  The draft had been submitted to Parliament last month and was now in its final stage.

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For information media • not an official record