UN begins 10-day talks on conventional-arms treaty
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E-mail China Daily, March 20, 2013
The negotiations are expected to be difficult as some European nations seek a high threshold and strictly binding treaty, a condition that major arms-trade nations may object to, said Guo Xiaobing, deputy chief of the Institute of Security and Arms Control Studies under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
"US attitudes concerning the ammunition trade and its domestic policy on gun administration pose an unknown variable in the success of the negotiations," Guo said.
The volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons was 17 percent higher between 2008 and 2012 than it was between 2003 and 2007, according to a report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute on Monday.
The US and Russia kept the largest share of the world's arms sales during 2008-12, with the US accounting for 30 percent and Russia 26 percent, the report said.
Despite many obstacles, observers said there is still a good chance that a treaty will be approved at the end of this conference to fill in the current blanks in regulation of the world's illegal arms trade.
Li Hong, secretary-general of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said in recent media interviews that any attempts to thwart the treaty will face huge diplomatic pressure since the international community has made a tremendous effort for its approval.
All major arms traders have made their core concerns visible during previous negotiations, so a binding treaty in the spirit of mutual respect and cooperation is likely to be accepted, he said.
"However, its integrity and authorization in different states will be another problem," he added.
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