Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 22 Nov 2001

Vol. 544 No. 5

Written Answers. - Arms Trade.

Jack Wall

Question:

29 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the initiatives the Government proposes to take to reduce the level of world resources being devoted to arms production; if he has raised this matter at the European Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29251/01]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen)

Ireland's approach to disarmament has always been consistent with our policy towards developing countries where the question of diversion of resources to arms procurement and the consequences of accumulations of weapons is of particular concern. Ireland has also continued to play a very active role in efforts to achieve total nuclear disarmament. The acquisition and maintenance of a nuclear arsenal is one of the costliest forms of the arms race. Ireland has been similarly active in international efforts to reduce the flow of small arms and light weapons and eliminate the use of land mines.

With regard to nuclear weapons, Ireland has been consistently to the fore in international efforts towards nuclear disarmament. The forum in which we are most active is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This treaty contains the only legally binding commitment to pursue nuclear disarmament which has been undertaken by the five nuclear weapon states.

At the Sixth Review Conference of States Parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2000 Ireland was a key participant in the difficult negotiations which led to agreement on the final document of the conference. This final document outlines a significant number of steps to be taken by the nuclear weapons states to achieve the goal of total nuclear disarmament. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty cycle begins again in April next year and together with our new agenda partners we will actively pursue progress on this blueprint for action.

In July of this year the UN Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects took place in New York. Ireland played a very active role in this conference and worked with European Union partners to achieve the strongest possible outcome. This conference was the first major step in addressing the problem of small arms proliferation and significantly, represented a formal recognition by the member states of the United Nations of the effects of the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons on civilian populations.

The major issues dealt with by the conference were export criteria and controls, tracing and marking of weapons and regulation of brokers. The programme of action agreed, by consensus, contains politically binding commitments at national, regional and international level. It also establishes a framework for follow-up action including provision for a review conference to be held in 2006.

Ireland was actively involved in the establishment of the EU code of conduct on arms exports which was adopted by the European Council in 1998. The code lists the factors to be taken into account when deciding on whether to allow an export of military goods. These include Criterion 8 which provides that member states should look at the level of expenditure of the recipient country on arms relative to their social expenditure.

The issue of arms brokerage is a particularly important one in controlling the spread of small arms and light weapons. Work is continuing in various fora on the issue. It is being discussed in the Wassenaar Arrangement, of which Ireland is a member, and in the European Union working group COARM. Ireland supports efforts to regulate the activities of arms brokers in these fora and will play an active role both within the European Union and elsewhere in trying to achieve progress in this area.

Ireland also played a key role in the negotiations for the 1997 Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and continues to advocate the need for all states to accede to the convention in order to ensure a world-wide ban on these weapons. Many countries which are parties to the convention and which are afflicted with mines will require international assistance in meeting their obligations under the convention. In recognition of this need Ireland has made ongoing contributions to humanitarian mine action programmes. Since 1994 Ireland has spent more than £7 million on a wide variety of demining and rehabilitation projects as part of its humanitarian assistance projects.