UN gathers for arms trade treaty talks
2013-03-18 20:39
New York - The UN General Assembly gathered on Monday
morning to begin the final talks on the long-contested Arms Trade Treaty aiming
to regulate the international sale of arms and ammunition.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon kicked off the
negotiations reminding the assembly that the lack of regulations on
international arms trades leads to widespread human rights abuses with half a
million people dying each year due to weapons obtained illegally or used for
genocide.
"We have international standards regulating
everything from T-shirts to toys to tomatoes," Ban said on Monday.
"That means there are common standards for the global trade in armchairs,
but not the global trade in arms."
After six years in the making, a final draft of the
treaty was produced last July, but negotiations hit a wall when the US joined
China and Russia in their attempt to delay the agreement.
The three countries are among the world's top five arms
exporters.
Ban said on Monday he hopes the present talks will lead
to the ratification of last year's final draft instead of starting negotiations
all over.
"After a very long journey, our final destination is
in sight: a robust arms trade treaty," Ban said.
- SAPA
