Michael D. Higgins
Question:95 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures Ireland intends to take on the issues of arms production and proliferation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10462/02]
Written Answers. - Arms Trade.
Ireland has played a very active role in efforts to achieve disarmament and to work against the proliferation of weapons. These efforts are carried out multilaterally and primarily through the United Nations.
With regard to nuclear weapons, Ireland has been consistently to the forefront 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 this year and together with our New Agenda partners we will actively pursue progress on this blueprint for action. The New Agenda will present a working paper to the First Preparatory Committee on ways in which the steps agreed at the 2000 Review Conference might be implemented.
In July of 2001 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.
The third annual report on the code of conduct which was adopted by the General Affairs Council in November 2001 set as one of the priorities for this year, continuing efforts in the area of control of arms brokerage. Thus, discussion is ongoing in the European Union working group on arms exports – COARM – on how best to develop EU-wide regulation on the control of arms brokerage. The issue of arms brokerage is a particularly important one in controlling the spread of small arms and light weapons and work is continuing in various fora outside of the EU on this subject including the Wassenaar Arrangement, of which Ireland is a member. Ireland supports efforts in these fora to regulate the activities of arms brokers 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 just under €9 million on a wide variety of demining and rehabilitation projects as part of its humanitarian assistance projects. In September 2001, states parties to the convention established an implementation support unit to assist in the work of the Ottawa Process intersessional meetings – these take place between and prepare for the annual meetings of states parties. Ireland has committed €50,000 toward funding this implementation support unit.