UN seeks multilateral treaty to regulate arms trade

New York, 04 Jul – (ANA) - Participants at the first Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty have been urged to work towards a treaty to regulate the trade in such weapons, stressing that a set of rules on this matter is long overdue.  “We have made some progress on weapons of mass destruction issues over the years, but the international community has not kept pace on conventional arms,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon told the conference. “Nuclear issues capture headlines, but conventional arms are killing people everyday,”  Mr Ban said adding that poorly regulated international arms transfers are fuelling civil conflicts, destabilizing regions, and empowering terrorists and criminal networks. The conference at the UN Headquarters in New York brings together the UN’s 193 Member States to negotiate what is seen as the most important initiative ever regarding conventional arms regulation within the United Nations, according to the Conference organizers. (ANA)

FA/ANA/04 July 2012---------