Inner City Press

Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis

Google
  Search innercitypress.com Search WWW (censored?)

In Other Media-eg AJE, FP, Georgia, NYT Azerbaijan, CSM Click here to contact us     .

,



Follow us on TWITTER

Home -

These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis

CONTRIBUTE

ICP on YouTube

BloggingHeads.tv

UN: Sri Lanka

VoA: NYCLU

Google, Asked at UN About Censorship, Moved to Censor the Questioner, Sources Say, Blaming UN - Update - Editorial

Support this work by buying this book

Click on cover for secure site orders

also includes "Toxic Credit in the Global Inner City"
 

 

 


Community
Reinvestment

Bank Beat

Freedom of Information
 

How to Contact Us



Arms Trade Treaty Draft Allows Ammo for Transnational Crime, Illicit Market

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 26 -- When the new Arms Trade Treaty draft was circulated on the afternoon of Thursday, the day before the deadline to agree or not agree, it took a new approach to ammunition.

The US does not want ammo to be included; the ECOWAS states of West Africa have said they wouldn't sign on if ammo is not covered. Click here for previous coverage from Inner City Press.

  Reflecting the US' strength, ammunition is still not listed among the items Covered. But later under Exports the text says

"Each State Party shall establish and maintain a national control system to regulate the export of ammunition for conventional arms under the scope of this Treaty, and shall apply article 3, and paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of article 4 prior to authorizing any export of ammunition."

  So what is being excluded? Article 3 has six paragraphs, from the last of which ammo is excluded:

6. Each State Party, when considering a proposed export of conventional arms under the scope of this Treaty, shall consider taking feasible measures, including joint actions with other States involved in the transfer, to avoid the arms:

a. being diverted to the illicit market or for unauthorized end use;

b. being used to commit or facilitate gender-based violence or violence against children;

c. being used for transnational organized crime;

d. becoming subject to corrupt practices; or

e. adversely impacting the development of the importing State.

   This is a major exclusion, of a duty to check on ammo exports "being used for transnational organized crime."

  To Inner City Press, it brings to mind US guns and ammo being used by the transnational drug cartels based in Mexico. Can you say, Fast and Furious? That is how they want to push this watered down Treaty through. Watch this site.

Share |

* * *

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for Sept 26, 2011 New Yorker on Inner City Press at UN

Click for  BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

UN Office: S-253, UN, NY 10017 USA Tel: 212-963-1439

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Google
  Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

            Copyright 2006-2012 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com