U.S. Supports More Talks on Arms Trade Treaty, But No Vote on Current Draft
The U.S. supports a second round of negotiations on the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, the State Department said in a statement following the conclusion of talks last week. Negotiators failed to reach a full consensus on the terms of a possible treaty, though more talks are likely.
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Further talks should be "conducted on the basis of consensus," the statement said, and "we do not support a vote in the [U.N. General Assembly] on the current text. ... While we sought to conclude this month’s negotiations with a Treaty, more time is a reasonable request for such a complex and critical issue. The current text reflects considerable positive progress, but it needs further review and refinement."
One key issue, the U.S. said, is "not infringing on the constitutional right of our citizens to bear arms." It also said "international trade in conventional arms is a legitimate enterprise that is and should remain regulated by the individual nations themselves."
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was disappointed by the failure of the four-week talks to reach agreement on a treaty that would regulate the conventional arms trade, calling it "a setback.” he added. But Ban said that he was encouraged that the ATT process was not over: “There is already considerable common ground and States can build on the hard work that has been done during these negotiations.”