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UN General Assembly Approves Arms-Trade Treaty

April 02, 2013

The UN General Assembly has voted to approve a first-ever treaty regulating the international arms trade.

The UN General Assembly adopted the landmark treaty on April 2 with 154 of the 193 members voting in favor of it and three against.

The three no votes were cast by Syria, North Korea, and Iran, the same three countries that jointly blocked the treaty's adoption by consensus last week.

Russia was among the 23 nations that abstained.

The agreement has been more than a decade in the making, as activists and governments have lobbied to regulate the trade and try to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, insurgents, and criminals.

The treaty does not apply to domestic use of weapons but does require countries to establish national regulations to control arms transfers.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/un-arms-trade-teaty/24945913.html

Copyright (c) 2013. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.