Vol. 424 No. 9
34 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps, if any, the Government intend to take to promote the initiative in regard to the proposals made by the Irish Permanent Representative to the United Nations on 23 October 1992 regarding an international code of conduct on conventional arms transfers, and if he will make a statement on the matter.
In recent years there has been growing concern about the excessive accumulation of conventional weapons in many parts of the world. Overspending on armaments, particularly by some developing countries, has increased instability and reduced the amount of resources available for economic and social development. An extreme and tragic example is Somalia which received large quantities of arms which are now in the hands of various lawless elements. This has contributed to a situation of anarchy which prevents the effective delivery of relief supplies to the famine victims.
Because of our concern about these developments I instructed our Permanent Representative to the United Nations to propose the elaboration of a voluntary code of conduct to regulate international arms transfers. The purpose of this initiative is to bring about greater responsibility and restraint in transfers of conventional weapons.
The code would call upon States voluntarily to exercise particular responsibility in their exports and imports of such weapons. It would not include specified limitations on transfers, but States would undertake to ensure as far as possible that their transfers of conventional weapons would not undermine international stability or security. The code would build upon steps which have already been taken towards developing a responsible and restrained approach to arms transfers, including the efforts of the European Community. It would not, however, interfere with the legitimate right of States under the UN Charter to acquire arms for self-defence.
