Posted on 07/09/2005 7:21:14 AM PDT by jdege
Switzerland - July 8 2005
Press Release - International Committee of the Red Cross
ICRC (Geneva) Governments, international organizations and NGOs will meet in New York from 11-15 July to assess progress made in four years of implementing the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects.
Participants are also expected to begin identifying ways of strengthening the Programme of Action when it is formally reviewed in 2006. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will participate in the event as an observer.
In its work assisting victims of armed conflict, the ICRC witnesses daily the price that civilians in many war-torn societies pay for inadequate controls on the availability of weapons and their frequent use in violation of international humanitarian law. The widespread proliferation of assault rifles, machine guns and other small arms and light weapons makes attacks on civilians easier and more lethal. Even after hostilities on the battlefield end, the threat of armed violence often persists, fuelled by easy access to military-style weapons remaining from the conflict.
The UN Programme of Action, which is not a legally binding document, is widely perceived as only a first step towards reducing the suffering resulting from the unregulated availability of small arms. On 17 June, States concluded another international instrument to facilitate identification and tracing of illicit small arms. Governmental support is also growing for a global agreement that would define common standards for regulating all conventional arms transfers. The ICRC supports such an agreement, which should include a requirement not to authorize arms transfers when the weapons are likely to be used to violate humanitarian law.
The ICRC also supports proposals for a global agreement to prevent illicit arms brokering. Brokers operating outside any national or international legal framework often facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law in armed conflicts. Such activities frequently continue with impunity for years owing to weak or nonexistent regulation of arms brokers at the national and international levels.
"The year ahead will be crucial in determining the direction of future global efforts to prevent unregulated small arms proliferation." underlined Peter Herby, head of the ICRC's Mines-Arms Unit. "If we are to succeed in reducing the use of weapons to violate international humanitarian law, more comprehensive measures are needed. The terrible human costs of easy access to military weapons will continue to grow unless States act with greater urgency."
Governmental support is also growing for a global agreement that would define common standards for regulating all conventional arms transfers.
We need to get Bolton back in the UN.
Yeah, restricting small arms should stop macheteings in Africa and beheadings in the ME.
Its doing one heck of a job in Britain as well, where knives "putting the boot in" are now the weapons of choice.
Small arms resrictions do not prevent humanitarian violence.
That should read "knives and'putting the boot in'"
The UN has been unable to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, but now they think they can control small arms transactions and the American tax payer will fund it?
If we do, the joke is on us.
Agreed. Inadequate controls keep firearms out of the hands of law abiding citizens, and reserve them strictly for gov'ts which oppress and kill citizens, and criminals that do the same. Let's hope the ICRC will supply weapons and ammunition to the innocent victims.
They want to disarm you so that guys in blue helmets can rule you
Global gun control. Great plan. It's really working well for Great Britain and Australia.
The big difference is the uncivilized world compared to the civilized world. In the civilized world people are expected to "negotiate". In the uncivilized world, firearms are the mediator.
I guess that makes me uncivilized. I prefer firepower as the key to negotiation, rather than peace and understanding. Don't forget, there are also barbarians who shoot first and ask no questions. I don't think they are willing to give up their guns without a fight to the death, so once again the idea of utopian UN gun control is invalidated until all barbarians are eliminated.
The UN has been unable to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, but now they think they can control small arms transactions and the American tax payer will fund it?
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Why this country still tolerates the criminal, irrelevant UN is beyond me. These useless PARASITES keep trying to DO ANYTHING to justify their totally disfunctional existence...control small arms, give me a break.
Throw them out of the US and tell them and their criminal mob to stay out of our affairs.
But, but he makes the democrats feel bad.
Over my dead and lifeless............
Did Bush work hard to get him a majority?
What was the last vote count?
A majority of 38 rejecting, a minority of 54 voting to consent. The majority prevailed by a margin of negative sixteen. The Democrats hold a negative-eleven vote majority in the Senate.
Fixed. This BS programe alone is reason to get Bolton comfirmed as ambassidor to the UN!
Screw the UN ping!
Ahh, the new pro-slavery program.
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