Indonesia Supports Arms Trade Treaty Global Arrangement

Jakarta, April 5 (Antara) - Indonesia supports the presence of arms trade treaty global arrangement which could reduce human suffering and increase mutual trust among countries and promote international peace. A press release from the Foreign Affairs Ministry here on Friday said that the treaty was passed at the UN General Assembly on April 2, 2013 by a vote after a seven-year discussion, and cannot agreed in a consensus. Although Indonesia has been actively involved in the discussion of the Treaty since its inception and fully supports international arrangements in the field of armaments, Indonesia has decided to take the position of abstention due to several provisions in the Treaty that are not in line with the basic position of Indonesia. Various provisions of the Treaty do not provide a complete balance between the interests of exporting countries and importing countries. The treaty among states that exporting countries have unilaterally given full authority to assess whether or not there is a potential that the transfer of weapons can be used and or facilitate human rights violations. With the abstention position, Indonesia on the one hand reflects the support for a global arms trade regulation, but on the other hand keep the possibilities open for merge into the country after a more in-depth study conducted by all stakeholders in the country, in order to ensure that the national interest especially in the field of defense equipment will be guaranteed. This treaty will begin to open for signature by the UN member states since June 3, 2013.