Final draft of global arms trade treaty flawed, stresses India

IANS/United Nations India has criticised the final draft of the global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at the UN, saying it falls short of its expectations and there is a “fundamental imbalance in the text which is flawed” and tilted against weapons-importing countries. Addressing the closing plenary of the UN Conference on ATT, Ambassador Sujata Mehta said that “in the view of the Indian delegation, the final draft falls short of our expectations and a number of other key stakeholders in producing a text that is clear, balanced and implementable and able to attract universal adherence”. India had made it clear that the global arms trade treaty should make a “real impact on illicit trafficking in conventional arms and their illicit use - especially by terrorists and other unauthorised and unlawful non-state actors”, said Mehta, India’s permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva. But the provisions in the final draft on terrorism and non-state actors “are weak and diffused and find no mention in the specific prohibitions of the treaty”. India has consistently stressed that the ATT should “ensure a balance of obligations between exporting and importing states”. Mehta emphasised that “India cannot accept that the treaty be used as an instrument in the hands of exporting states to take unilateral force majeure measures against importing states parties without consequences”, said an official statement yesterday. She also said that the relevant provisions in the final draft do not meet India’s requirements. “There is a fundamental imbalance in the text which is flawed as the weight of obligations is tilted against importing states.” India as an importing state “will take measures to ensure that the treaty does not affect the stability and predictability of defence co-operation agreements and contracts entered into by India,” said Mehta.