(11 Nov 09 - RV) November 11th is Remembrance Day. It is the 91st anniversary
of the signing of the armistice ending the First World War.
The foreign secretary
of Great Britain, David Miliband, and the foreign minister of France, Bernard Kouchner,
took the occasion to publish an article in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.
The
front page article stresses the need to negotiate a world-wide Arms Trade Treaty.
We have this report...
Text of
Article
Article by David Miliband, British Foreign Secretary and Bernard
Kouchner, French Foreign Minister, published in the Vatican daily L’Osservatore
Romano on 11 November 2009
One of the great tragedies of our times
is the uncontrolled spread of weapons, often from illegal markets, sometimes in violation
of international embargoes. Up to a thousand people a day – mostly women and children
– are killed by such arms, most of them in the world’s poorest countries. These weapons
fuel conflict, break down societies, and prevent families climbing out of poverty.
There is an urgent moral imperative to grip a global problem that is spinning out
of control. One crucial step will be to negotiate a world-wide Arms Trade Treaty.
Britain and France have been working closely since 2006 to promote the idea of such
a Treaty in the United Nations. An Arms Trade Treaty would join up the current patchwork
of national and regional systems for regulating arms exports. It is the gaps in these
systems and their lack of consistency and coherence that have allowed illegal arms
markets to spring up. We are making good progress. In July this year, countries
formally agreed for the first time that the unregulated international trade in conventional
arms was creating a global problem. And on 30 October, an overwhelming majority of
countries voted to adopt a clear timetable for work on a Treaty. We welcome in particular
Hillary Clinton’s announcement on 14 October that the United States would back a Treaty,
the first time the United States has said this. Under the plan agreed at the United
Nations on 30 October, governments have agreed to meet in 2010 and 2011 to prepare
for a major Diplomatic Conference in 2012 that would, we hope, finalise a Treaty.
Negotiating the precise provisions of an Arms Trade Treaty is likely to be a complex
process. We are clear we want a treaty with the highest possible standards, to ensure
the protection of life and dignity, and we want it as soon as possible. But the issues
are technically difficult and the needs of all 197 United Nations member states must
be addressed. Governments will inevitably take the lead in negotiating what will
be in the new Treaty. But modern diplomacy is not just about officials working in
international organisations. It is about making sure the decision making process reflects
the views of an increasingly interdependent, and well-informed global society. That
is why civil society groups have a vital role to play if we are indeed going to achieve
the goal of a universal and robust Arms Trade Treaty. Historically, it has often been
the moral argument that has shifted the momentum toward political and social action
and been the impetus for change. Today is no different. Throughout the three year
period before the Diplomatic Conference we need to maintain momentum and persuade
those who have doubts about an Arms Trade Treaty. It is vital to those who care about
the moral issue to make sure that this process is successful . We will be working
with a broad range of NGOs, faith groups, and independent activists – all of which
have indicated their support for a Treaty – to make sure their voices are properly
heard. Such groups have global grassroots networks, which speak uniquely across
cultures, languages and nations. They have been crucial in putting debt relief at
the top of the G8 agenda, through the Make Poverty History and Jubilee Debt Campaign.
The UK and France worked closely with NGOs, faith groups and campaigners to secure
last year’s Convention banning Cluster Munitions, which more than 100 countries have
now signed. The same groups can now play a role in making the Arms Trade Treaty an
international priority. The Holy See played a vital role in helping to build the
consensus to secure the Cluster Munitions Convention, and was among the very first
states to sign. We now hope to work closely with the Holy See on this new Treaty.
We should not let this opportunity pass us by.