Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2001 20:08:12 -0700
From: crowtalk@THERIVER.COM (Joe Horn)
Subject: U.N. Gun Grabbers at It Again
To: AZRKBA@asu.edu


They will never quit and neither can we.
JH


U.N. Gun Grabbers at It Again
United Press International
Friday, Aug. 3, 2001

UNITED NATIONS - Just 12 days after the General Assembly completed two 
weeks
of debate on guns, the Security Council, also under Colombia's gavel, 
tackled
the subject at length Thursday.
Foreign Minister Guillermo Fernandez de Soto of Colombia, this month's
rotating council president, promised at the conclusion of what he called 
"a
very enriching debate" a draft statement "reflecting the views expressed 
and
will submit it for the consideration of members of the council during 
the
course of the next week."

Secretary-General Kofi Annan led off the list of 42 speakers and said 
the
"progress" made at last month's conference on small arms must be 
followed by
certain activities, including the establishment of legally binding norms 

banning trade in light weapons the U.N. deems illicit.

At the July 21 windup of the special assembly session, formally called 
the
U.N. Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in 
All
Its Aspects, members of the world organization committed themselves to
develop measures aimed at preventing the illicit manufacture and trade 
in
small arms and light weapons. Ambassador Camillo Reyes of Colombia 
presided
over the assembly conference.

Members also agreed to place special emphasis on post-conflict 
situations, to
destroy illicit or surplus weapons as necessary, and to act responsibly 
in
export, import, transit and retransfer of weapons.

"These are significant first steps in alleviating a grave threat to
international peace and secrity," Annan said Thursday in welcoming the
council session.

"We must now consolidate these gains. A program of action is a 
beginning, not
an end in itself. Implementation will be the true test."

The Secretary-General said that states had established binding norms and 
or
treaties in nuclear non-proliferation, chemical and biological weapons 
and
anti-personnel land mines, and that similar legislation was needed to 
cover
this "scourge."

"The illicit trade in small arms and light weapons is conspicuous for 
its
lack of such a framework of binding norms and standards," he said.

The Fernandez, the foreign minister, called the problem "transnational," 
just
as is illicit drugs.

Fernandez recommended systematizing significant experiences in 
fulfilling
international commitments on small arms and light weapons, reinforcing
regional initiatives, promoting a continuous dialogue with regional
organizations, providing the council with accurate inormation on 
situations,
adopting strategies to thwart weapons traffickers and called for closer
cooperation for the destruction of "surplus" weapons in the possession 
of
states, the "voluntary" collection of small arms and the confiscation of 

"illegal" weapons.

"Lastly, as a country particularly affected by the illicit trade in 
small
arms and light weapons, Colombia wishes to express its solidarity with
Africa, the region of the world that is most severely affected by this
scourge," he said.

The deputy U.S. ambassador, James Cunningham, commended Colombia for
continuing "the momentum" of the arms conclave.

"The conference reached consensus on a comprehensive Program of Action, 
a
solid foundation for dealing with this issue," he said.

Cunningham said the most effective way was "through strict export and 
import
controls, strong brokering laws, and insuring the security of small arms 
and
light weapons stockpiles."

"The United States has one of the strongest systems in the world for
regulating the export of arms. Small arms and light weapons made in the
United States cannot be exported without the approval of the Department 
of
State. Nor can arms of U.S. origin be retransferred without approval of 
the
United States. We rigorously monitor arms transfers and routinely 
investigate
suspicious activities."

The United States "looks forward to working with the other member states 
to
fulfill the Program of Action," Cunningham said. However, Washington
believes, following the assembly's conference, "the Security Council's 
role
is circumscribed. We do not believe that the Security Council should 
seek a
more elaborate role, beyond its competence. But it does have an 
important
role to play."

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.