Syria Opposes UN Text of Arms Treaty

Local Editor

Syria's Permanent Representative to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari stated that Syria has sought and will seek the legislation of arms trade due to the risk posed by illicit arms trade on international security and peace.

During the UN conference on arms trade treaty, al-Jaafari reiterated that Syria opposes the current text of the treaty as it doesn't address foreign occupation, the right to self-determination of people under occupation, and the crimes of aggression, as well as not having a clear article on the absolute ban of providing weapons to terrorist elements and groups, SANA reported.

"My country opposes the current text of the treaty for various reasons;The treaty ignores the proposals of a number of countries including Syria on the inclusion of a reference in the text to the foreign occupation and the inalienable rights of the people under the foreign occupation to self-determination, as the "Israeli" occupation still occupies Arab territories in the Syrian Golan, Palestine and Lebanon.

The selectivity and transparency in the supervising procedures on armament don't constitute a balanced and overall approach as it hinders the international community of committing to disarmament.

The treaty is not unanimous as it doesn't take into consideration the stances and views of a number of countries, such as Syria.

The text doesn't include a frank paragraph on the categorically ban of supplying weapons to the armed terrorist groups and members," al-Jaafari stated, among other reasons.

Source: SANA, Edited by moqawama.org