States must monitor arms - UN

2006-06-27 08:50

United Nations - Governments must do more to keep their stockpiles of small arms secure from thieves and smugglers, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on the first day of a major conference on reducing the illegal trade of such weapons.

In a speech to the conference on Monday, Annan told delegates some progress had been made in the five years since states promised to do more to curb the illicit trade of small arms. Yet they have fallen short in updating their laws or collecting and destroying illegal weapons.

"Our targets remain unscrupulous arms brokers, corrupt officials, drug trafficking syndicates, criminals and others who bring death and mayhem into our communities," Annan said.

New approach to trade

The two-week event will not produce any legally binding document, but gun-control advocates will push governments to ensure such weapons are not used to trample human rights.

The groups and some officials advocate a new approach for trade in the light arms that are said to kill 1 000 people a day: Governments must take responsibility for all weapons they sell, even after the deal is done.

Such a philosophy applies to weapons of mass destruction, but not to small arms, and it will be the focus of much debate at the two-week conference. Any action taken at the conference must be adopted by consensus, and several governments have already indicated they will not support such a promise.

US focus on illicit trade of arms

The United States is willing to talk about the idea, said Robert Joseph, the US undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. But he said they must focus on concrete steps.

"Our focus is on the illicit trade. Our focus is on effective measures to stop that illicit trade," he said. "We are open to considering general principles but they have to be principles of effective action."

Arms cause up to 90% of all deaths in conflicts

Global trade in small arms is worth about $4bn a year, of which a fourth is considered illegal. The arms cause 60% to 90% of all deaths in conflicts every year.

Earlier on Monday, Annan received a petition with the photographs of one million people calling for tougher arms control - in particular a treaty that would put greater restriction on the sale of weapons ranging from tanks to helicopters to guns.

"Governments profess their commitment to human rights and the promotion of peace and security and yet have failed so far to address one of the key factors underlying insecurity and abuse," said Amnesty International secretary general Irene Khan.

- AP