US, Zimbabwe oppose UN resolution on weapons trade regulation

United Nations, Nov 1 (PTI) The U.S. and Zimbabwe, which
have worst of ties, showed rare unity when they joined
together to oppose a resolution in a key U.N. committee which
calls for setting common international standards for import,
export and transfer of conventional weapons.

The General Assembly's Disarmament and International
Security Committee adopted the resolution by 145 votes with
both the U.S. and Zimbabwe opposing it.

The committee establishes an open-ended working group for
further consideration of "complex" issues involved in
regulating the trade in conventional weapons.

India was among the 18 countries which abstained from
voting. They included China, Russia, Pakistan, Israel, Saudi
Arabia, Syria and Yemen.

Britain's Ambassador John Sawers criticised the Bush
administration for voting against the resolution along with
Zimbabwe, describing them as "a rather curious combination."

He expressed hope that the next American administration
will have another look at country's approach to the arms trade
treaty, which he said would benefit all responsible arms
manufacturers and traders.

Sawers said the resolution will have impact only on the
irresponsible and illegal transfer of weapons.

The regulation of trade, which has been widely discussed
at the world body, has generally been opposed by the major
arms exporting countries.

Washington had been highly critical of Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe's regime and it had, along with
Britain, made a strong but unsuccessful bid in the Security
Council to impose sanctions on Mugabe and other top officials.

India, in its explanation of vote, said it shared the
international community's concern about the negative effects
of illegal arms trade, particularly the trade in small arms
and light weapons.

The complexity of the issue had been recognized by the
report of the Group of Governmental Experts. India had
experts in that Group. "However, the draft resolution departs
from the experts' report," it said.

India supports consensus-building that would lead to
legally binding instruments in a non-discriminatory way, it
said, adding that the focus of any treaty on the matter should
not be on exporters and importers alone.

"Sovereign rights and security interests in the foreign
policy of countries are important. There was a need for
greater clarity and specificity in the open-ended group."

The U.S. said it supported the goal of "promoting
responsible arms transfers and reducing the destabilising"
trade in illicit arms.

"But it did not believe a global arms trade treaty would
accomplish that goal. To be effective, any arms trade treaty
would require the support of the major arms exporters, and the
U.S. believes that some major arms exporters would refuse to
agree to an arms trade treaty that required meaningful,
effective conventional arms transfer controls policies.

"The only way to convince all major arms exporters to
sign on would be to weaken the instrument's provisions, it
said, adding that concluding a weak treaty would legitimize
international standards based on a lowest common denominator
and would not address the problem," the U.S. said. PTI