UN moves toward treaty on conventional weapons

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Over US objections, the UN General Assembly has approved a resolution that could lead to the first international treaty on controlling the trade in small arms. The non-binding resolution asked the secretary-general to seek the views of the 192-member General Assembly on the feasibility of a comprehensive treaty "establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms." It requested the secretary-general to submit a report in the next General Assembly session which starts in September 2007. It also asked the secretary-general to establish a group of government experts to examine the feasibility of a treaty, based on the report, starting in 2008. The resolution was approved Wednesday by a vote of 153-1 with 24 abstentions.