Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 September 2004
118 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government’s position on the need for provisions to control the legal transfer of small arms in the context of an international arms trade treaty. [23181/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraI support the principle of having legally binding international agreements on the control of arms exports, with as wide a participation as possible. This is particularly important with respect to small arms and light weapons.
The export of arms from EU countries must conform to the EU code of conduct on arms exports, which establishes criteria to control such exports. Ireland was actively involved in the establishment of this code which lists the factors to be taken into account when deciding whether to allow an export of military goods, including small arms. These include respect for human rights, the internal situation in the country of final destination and the preservation of regional peace, security and stability. A review of the code of conduct was initiated during Ireland's Presidency of the EU to take account of developments since the code entered into force in 1998 and in this respect a number of proposals to strengthen and update it are being considered.
A welcome aspect of the proposed international arms trade treaty, which has been put forward by a number of non-governmental organisations, NGOs, including Amnesty International and Oxfam, is that the treaty has the objective of setting out states' existing international legal obligations in the area of international transfers of arms. In addition, once ratified, the proposed treaty would enable the international community to move forward incrementally, by means of subsequent more specific instruments, to strengthen international controls on arms transfers.
While work on the drafting of the text of the proposed treaty 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 November at Cambridge University in England, the purpose of which was to examine the text of the proposed treaty. I understand that the text is currently being re-examined from a legal perspective by those NGOs involved in the Arms Control Campaign which met last February in Costa Rica and that as a consequence of those discussions revisions to the text may be made.
An official from my Department also attended an international workshop on Enhancing the International Export Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons — the Case for an International Arms Trade Treaty, which took place in Helsinki last June. There was broad representation at the workshop, both from governments and from NGOs. Ireland will continue to be associated with the process and will closely monitor developments.
