(New York) – The UN General Assembly has approved the first global treaty to regulate international trade in conventional weapons, the UN News Center said. The resolution containing the text of the treaty was approved by 154 “yes” votes with the simple majority of 97 votes in favor needed to pass the text. The document received strong support from the majority of UN members during the Final UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty. The adoption of the treaty, which required a unanimous approval, was blocked by three states Iran, Syria and North Korea.
The three countries, who have earlier criticized the draft treaty as “unbalanced” and giving an advantage to the world’s biggest weapons exporters, voted against it during the General Assembly’s vote, while 23 countries abstained, including the world’s two major arms exporters, Russia and China. The US, the world’s biggest arms trader accounting for over 40 percent of global conventional arms transfers with annual revenues estimated at more than $28 billion, voted in favour of the agreement. According to the resolution, the treaty will be open for signing July 3, 2013. It will take effect 90 days after being ratified by its 50th signatory.
