United States Welcomes Opening of Arms Trade Treaty for Signature

The United States welcomes the opening of the Arms Trade Treaty for signature, and we look forward to signing it as soon as the process of conforming the official translations is completed satisfactorily. 

The Treaty is an important contribution to efforts to stem the illicit trade in conventional weapons, which fuels conflict, empowers violent extremists, and contributes to violations of human rights.  The Treaty will require the parties to implement strict controls, of the kind the United States already has in place, on the international transfer of conventional arms to prevent their diversion and misuse and create greater international cooperation against black market arms merchants.  The ATT will not undermine the legitimate international trade in conventional weapons, interfere with national sovereignty, or infringe on the rights of American citizens, including our Second Amendment rights. 

We commend the Presidents of the two UN negotiating conferences – Roberto Garcia Moritan of Argentina and Peter Woolcott of Australia –for their leadership in bringing this agreement to fruition.  We also congratulate all the states that helped achieve  an effective, implementable Treaty that will reduce the risk that international transfers of conventional arms will be used to carry out the world’s worst crimes. 

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on reports of Israeli strike in Syria

The Secretary-General expresses grave concern over reports of air strikes in Syria by the Israeli Air Force. At this time, the United Nations does not have details of the reported incidents.  Nor is the United Nations in a position to independently verify what has occurred.

The Secretary-General calls on all sides to exercise maximum calm and restraint, and to act with a sense of responsibility to prevent an escalation of what is already a devastating and highly dangerous conflict.

The Secretary-General urges respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in the region, and adherence to all relevant Security Council resolutions.

New York, 5 May 2013

1. UNSCOM has uncovered significant undeclared proscribed weapons programmes, destroyed elements of these programmes so far identified, including equipment, facilities and materials, and has been attempting to map out and verify the full extent of these programmes in the face of Iraq’s serious efforts to deceive and conceal. UNSCOM also continues to try to verify Iraq’s illegal unilateral destruction activities. The investigation of such undeclared activities is crucial to the verification of Iraq’s declarations on its proscribed weapons programmes.

2. Examples of what has been uncovered since 1991 include: the existence of Iraq’s offensive biological warfare programme; the chemical nerve agent VX and other advanced chemical weapons capabilities; and Iraq’s indigenous production of proscribed missiles engines. Following these discoveries, UNSCOM has directed and supervised the destruction or rendering harmless of several identified facilities and large quantities of equipment for the production of chemical and biological weapons as well as proscribed long-range missiles.

3. UNSCOM has supervised the destruction of the following proscribed items.

 MISSILE AREA:

- 48 operational long-range missiles

- 14 conventional missile warheads

- 6 operational mobile launchers

- 28 operational fixed launch pads

- 32 fixed launch pads (under construction)

- 30 missile chemical warheads

- other missile support equipment and materials

- supervision of the destruction of a variety of assembled and non-

assembled “super-gun” components

CHEMICAL AREA:

- 38,537 filled and empty chemical munitions

- 690 tonnes of chemical weapons agent

- more than 3,000 tonnes of precursors chemicals

- 426 pieces of chemical weapons production equipment

- 91 pieces of related analytical instruments

BIOLOGICAL AREA:

- the entire Al-Hakam, the main biological weapons production facility

- a variety of biological weapons production equipment and materials

March 1998

http://www.un.org/Depts/unscom/Achievements/achievements.html

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Attacks in Mogadishu

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the deadly attacks in Mogadishu on 14 April at the Regional Court House and near Mogadishu International Airport in which dozens of people were reported killed and injured. These are brazen acts of terrorism against the Government, state institutions and the people of Somalia.

The Secretary-General expresses his sincere condolences to the families of those killed and wishes the injured a rapid recovery. He pays tribute to AMISOM and Somali security forces, whose courage and determination helped to bring the situation back under control.

The Secretary-General is confident that such appalling acts will not derail the determination of the Somali people to achieve peace and security in their country.  He reiterates the commitment of the United Nations to support the Federal Government of Somalia, its institutions and the Somali people.

New York, 15 April 2013

      U N I T E D   N A T I O N S                                               N A T I O N S   U N I E S

Address at the Opening of the Thematic Debate on the Role of

International Criminal Justice in Reconciliation

by H.E. Mr. Vuk Jeremić

President of the United Nations General Assembly

10 April 2013

[CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY]

Mr. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

Esteemed Heads of State,

Respected Ministers,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my distinct privilege to welcome you to the United Nations General Assembly.

Two decades after the establishment of the inaugural UN ad hoc tribunal, and eleven years following the entry into force of the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, we are finally holding our first thematic debate on international criminal justice.

I believe this is an issue of enormous significance for the international community. The number and diversity of countries that will participate in today’s proceedings demonstrates how widespread is the interest in this topic.

It is also an immensely sensitiveone, for discussions about international criminal justice often involve considerations of delicate matters like sovereignty or impartiality. But I firmly believe there should be no forbidden subjects in the General Assembly. Where else can all Member States come together, as equals, to exchange views frankly, openly, and inclusively on far-reaching issues?

Excellencies,

As international criminal justice is no longer in its infancy, there is quite an accumulated wealth of experience that can be appraised. Academic and public-policy experts have started to consider the historical record, revealing numerous lessons that may be learned or best practices to be applied in the future.

They are also debating issues such as prosecutorial discretion, the legal criteria by which judgments are rendered, and the selection process of court officials and staff—as well as the question of jurisdictional primacy and how it has evolved over time.

Others include how to balance the delivery of justice, the prevention of impunity and fostering general deterrence, and the respect for the rights of both victims and the accused.

In my view, the paramount question is how international criminal justice can help reconcile former adversaries in post-conflict, transitioning societies.

Excellencies,

I strongly believe that efforts to achieve justice and reconciliation should reinforce each other, and be bound together in what they aim to accomplish—to put an end to enmity, thus breaking for good the vicious cycle of hatred.

Reconciliation necessitates each side to accept its share of responsibility. Divorced from this context, international criminal justice can easily be perceived as an instrument of revendication, or be portrayed as complicit with attempts to assign communal blame. Such outcomes would harm efforts to strengthen the rule of law, for no legal tradition recognizes the guilt or innocence of an entire nation.

Reconciliation will come about when all the parties to a conflict are ready to speak the truth to each other. Honoring all the victims is at the heart of this endeavor. That is why it is so critically important to ensure atrocities are neither denied, nor bizarrely celebrated as national triumphs.

Reconciliation is in its essence about the future, about making sure we do not allow yesterday’s tragedies to circumscribe our ability to reach out to each other, and work together for a better, more inclusive tomorrow.

Excellencies,

I hope this thematic debate can be about the future as well, for we should see international criminal justice not only for what it is, but also for what it could become.

Let us therefore seek to improve its effectiveness, while offering honest and forthright assessments of its work.

And let us also be reminded of the possible dangers posed by its absence. It was Aristotle who wrote, so long ago, that “at his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice, he is the worst.”

May we fervently strive to build a world in which no man or nation is separated from the ennobling reign of law and justice, where truth and reconciliation will be imparted with much-deserved preeminence.

Thank you for your attention.

USUN PRESS RELEASE #048                                                                                      April 10, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The United States strongly disagrees with the decision of the President of the General Assembly to hold an unbalanced, inflammatory thematic debate today on the role of international criminal justice in reconciliation and will not participate.  We believe that ad hoc international criminal tribunals and other judicial institutions in Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia have been critical to ending impunity and helping these countries chart a new, more positive future.  We regret in particular that the way today’s thematic debate and the related panel discussion are structured fail to provide the victims of these atrocities an appropriate voice. 

Today’s session is a missed opportunity to strengthen the global system of accountability for those most responsible for atrocities, an important priority of the United States.  Holding accountable those responsible for such acts through impartial and independent trials reinforces the rule of law, deters future criminal activity, and reinforces human rights law and international humanitarian law norms.  Accountability is also an important component of a holistic transitional justice agenda, which supports long-term peace and reconciliation in countries emerging from armed conflict with legacies of large scale abuse.  While we have made progress in these areas, much work remains.  The United States will not rest until those responsible for perpetrating mass atrocities face justice and those who would commit such crimes know they will never enjoy impunity.

United Nations Adopts Arms Trade Treaty
NRA Encourages United States Senate to Defend Second Amendment

Fairfax, Va. – The United Nations, with the support of the United States of America, voted today in the General Assembly to adopt an Arms Trade Treaty.

“This treaty disregards the Second Amendment to our Constitution and threatens individual firearm ownership with an evasive registration scheme,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “It is a sad, yet telling, day when the President of the United States and his administration refuse to defend America’s Constitution on the world stage.”

With a passing yet non-binding acknowledgement of individual rights in the preamble, the treaty itself threatens civilian firearm ownership. The NRA has always maintained that any Arms Trade Treaty must respect the Second Amendment right of individual self-defense. This can only be accomplished by expressly excluding civilian firearms ownership from its scope, which this treaty fails to do.

Notably, the ATT includes “small arms and light weapons” among its terms, which cover firearms owned by law-abiding citizens.  Further, the treaty’s text urges recordkeeping of end users, directing importing countries to provide information to an exporting country regarding arms transfers, including “end use or end user documentation” for a “minimum of ten years.” Each state is to “take measures, pursuant to its national laws, to regulate brokering taking place under its jurisdiction for conventional arms.” Data kept on the end users of imported firearms would result in a registry of law-abiding firearms owners in this country, which based on the language of this treaty, could be available to foreign governments.

President Obama’s administration has supported the adoption of this treaty, and the administration is expecting to sign it, despite clear bipartisan opposition in the U.S. Senate. On March 23, the Senate adopted an amendment to its FY 2014 Budget Resolution offered by Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) that establishes a deficit-neutral fund for “the purpose of preventing the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.” This effort is in addition to the campaign led by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) to pass concurrent resolutions opposing the treaty.

“We thank Senator Moran, Senator Inhofe, and Representative Kelly for leading the effort to reject ratification of this misguided treaty,” concluded Cox.

-NRA-
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. More than four million members strong, NRA continues to uphold the Second Amendment and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services. Be sure to follow the NRA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NationalRifleAssociation and on Twitter @NRA.

Statement by Secretary KERRY

Historic Outcome of the Arms Trade Treaty Conference

The United States is pleased that the United Nations General Assembly has approved a strong, effective and implementable Arms Trade Treaty that can strengthen global security while protecting the sovereign right of states to conduct legitimate arms trade.

The Treaty adopted today will establish a common international standard for the national regulation of the international trade in conventional arms and require all states to develop and implement the kind of systems that the United States already has in place.  It will help reduce the risk that international transfers of conventional arms will be used to carry out the world’s worst crimes, including terrorism, genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.  At the same time, the treaty preserves the principle that the international conventional arms trade is, and will continue to be, a legitimate commercial activity that allows nations to acquire the arms they need for their own security. 

By its own terms, this treaty applies only to international trade, and reaffirms the sovereign right of any State to regulate arms within its territory.  As the United States has required from the outset of these negotiations, nothing in this treaty could ever infringe on the rights of American citizens under our domestic law or the Constitution, including the Second Amendment. 

U N I T E D   N A T I O N S                            N A T I O N S   U N I E S

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

—

REMARKS ON TENSIONS ON KOREAN PENINSULA AT PRESS CONFERENCE

Andorra, 2 April 2013

                                                                                   AS DELIVERED

        (Full transcript to follow)

Before I turn to your questions, let me say a few words about the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

I am deeply troubled.

As Secretary-General, it is my duty to prevent war and to pursue peace.

It is also my responsibility to state that the current crisis has already gone too far.

Nuclear threats are not a game.

Aggressive rhetoric and military posturing only result in counter-actions, and fuel fear and instability. 

Things must begin to calm down, as this situation, made worse by the lack of communication, could lead down a path that nobody should want to follow.

There is no need for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to be on a collision course with the international community.  I am convinced that nobody intends to attack DPRK because of disagreements about its political system or foreign policy. 

However, I am afraid that others will respond firmly to any direct military provocation.

Dialogue and negotiations are the only way to resolve the current crisis. 

As Secretary-General of the United Nations, I am ready to help the parties to embark on this journey.

Thank you. 

Statement by H.E. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee

Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations

Final United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty

New York, 28 March 2013

——-

In the Name of God, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful

Mr. President,

The Islamic Republic of Iran participated in this Conference with a high expectation to conclude an effective, robust, balanced and non-discriminatory Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) aimed at achieving the noble humanitarian goal of reducing human suffering resulting from the illicit trade in conventional arms. However, the achievement of such a Treaty has been rendered out of reach due to many legal flaws and loopholes in the current text that I would like to mention just a few of them:

First,while suppression of acts of aggression is a fundamental purpose of the United Nations, the current draft ignores the legitimate demand by a large number of States to prohibit the transfer of arms to those who commit aggression. As a victim of act of aggression in the recent history, our question is that how can we reduce human suffering by turning a blind eye to aggression that may cost the lives of thousands of innocent people? Are we rewarding aggressors by not prohibiting the transfer of arms to them?

Second, while the right of individuals to own and use guns has been protected in the current text to meet the constitutional requirements of only one State, the inalienable right to self-determination of peoples under foreign occupation or alien and colonial domination has completely been ignored, just to appease that State and its staunch ally in the Middle East. Moreover, despite serious demands by many States, the requirements of the inherent right of States to self-defense, namely the right to acquire conventional weapons to defend against aggression and preserve their territorial integrity has not been addressed.

Third, while regulating international transfers of conventional arms was supposed to be a main goal of the ATT, ironically the draft exempts the transfer of arms for armed forces of countries outside their territories. In recent years, these weapons have mostly been used to commit aggression and occupation causing human losses in many parts of the world including in our region in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf .

Forth, while the rights of arms exporting States is well preserved in this text, the right of importing States to acquire and import arms for their security needs is subject to the discretionary judgment and subjective assessment of the exporting States. That is why this text is highly susceptible to politicization, manipulation and discrimination.

Mr. President,

In our view, the flaws and loopholes that I highlighted and other deficiencies of the text are the product of a process in which the established practice of the United Nations to conduct negotiations in an open, transparent and participatory manner to accommodate each others’ concerns is overlooked. There is no doubt that achieving a legitimate and internationally accepted instrument is dependent on strict observance of such practice.

In conclusion, I would like to clarify that we, in the spirit of flexibility, tried our best to rectify the flaws and remove major loopholes in the text through a real negotiation in which voices are heard and at least serious concerns are equally addressed. It is a matter of deep regret that genuine efforts of many countries for a robust, balanced and non-discriminatory Treaty were ignored.

For the aforementioned reasons, the Islamic Republic of Iran objects to the adoption of the draft decision as contained in document A/CONF.217/2013/L.3 to which the non-consensual text of the draft Arms Trade Treaty is attached.