GOVERNMENTAL EXPERTS GROUP OPENs FIRST SESSION TODAY ON POSSIBLE ARMS TRADE TREATY

NEW YORK, 11 February (Office for Disarmament Affairs) -- The Group of Governmental Experts to examine the feasibility, scope and draft parameters for a comprehensive, legally binding instrument establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms started its first session in New York today.  The meeting, which runs until 15 February, is open to the experts and their advisers only.

Experts for the Group of Governmental Experts, which was established by the Secretary-General pursuant to General Assembly resolution 61/89 of 6 December 2006, were invited from the following countries:  Algeria; Argentina; Australia; Brazil; China; Colombia; Costa Rica; Cuba; Egypt; Finland; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Italy; Japan; Kenya; Mexico; Nigeria; Pakistan; Romania; Russian Federation; South Africa; Spain; Switzerland; Ukraine; United Kingdom; and the United States.

Ambassador Roberto García Moritán, Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the Foreign Ministry of Argentina has been elected to serve as Chairman of the Group.  Ambassador Moritán served in 2006 as the Chairman of the Group of Governmental Experts to review the continuing operation of the United Nations Register on Conventional Arms and its further development.

The Group, which will hold its second and third sessions in New York from 12 to 16 May and from 28 July to 8 August, is expected to produce a report for the consideration of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session.

The report of the Secretary-General entitled “Towards an Arms Trade Treaty:  Establishing Common International Standards for the Import, Export and Transfer of Conventional Arms (document A/62/278, parts I & II, and addenda 1–3), the views of Member States and other relevant documents, such as the General Assembly resolution that established the Group, can be found at http://disarmament.un.org/cab/ATT/index.html.

For further information on the work of the Group, please contact Pamela Maponga, Secretary of the Group, at e-mail:  maponga@un.org, telephone:  1 212 963 5521.

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For information media • not an official record