Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 16 Dec 2003

Vol. 577 No. 3

Written Answers. - Arms Trade.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

241 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the governments of Brazil, Cambodia, Mali, Macedonia, Costa Rica, Finland and the Netherlands have all pledged their support for an international arms trade treaty; and if the Government plans also to make such a pledge. [31403/03]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen):

I am aware of reports that the Governments referred to have indicated their support for the process led by a number of NGOs, including Amnesty International and Oxfam, aimed at the development of an international arms trade treaty. While work on drafting the text is still ongoing, it is a promising initiative and I commend the NGOs concerned for their efforts.

An official of my Department participated in a conference held last month at Cambridge University in England, the purpose of which was to examine, from a legal perspective, the text of the draft treaty which is under discussion in the NGO forum. I understand that, as a result of these discussions, further work will be carried out to clarify some of the provisions of the text. The question of adoption of the proposed international arms trade treaty has also been scheduled for discussion at working group level today within the EU.

I reiterate that I very much welcome the work being carried out on the text of the draft treaty and support the principle of having legally binding international agreements on export controls with the widest participation possible. This is particularly important with regard to small arms and light weapons. Ireland is committed to working with others to ensure that the illicit trafficking of such weapons is dealt with effectively by the international community. I understand that the NGOs involved in the promotion of the draft treaty are planning to hold a further meeting early next year to decide on how the process of developing the treaty can be advanced. My Department will continue to be associated with the process and will closely monitor developments.