KINGSTON, Jamaica – This newspaper, as a matter of principle, welcomes this week's passage by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly of the long-awaited UN treaty on trade in arms.
We would have preferred a more robust document, with specific language against the transfer of weapons to non-state actors, and would have liked the treaty to apply also to domestic dealings in arms. It would have been good if there was a tough verification mechanism and clear sanctions against those who violate the treaty. We, however, prefer to have something rather than nothing at all. Our hope, in any event, is that this is a beginning – a mere first step towards a more comprehensive treaty.
In the meantime, though, our focus is on the positives of the agreement, believing that they can help to mitigate some of the horrors that flow from the mostly loosely regulated trade in conventional weapons, which is worth over US$70 billion annually.
