DYB2011-Part-II-web

Disarmament resolutions and decisions listed by chapter
• Uruguay said that it was convinced that the work of the Preparatory Committee
had resulted in significant progress and that the new Preparatory Committee
session was essential to continue that progress. It deeply regretted that the draft
decision was not adopted by consensus, since its wording in no way prejudged
the outcome of the negotiations, their time frame or the documents submitted by
the Chair of the Preparatory Committee.
Three abstaining States also delivered statements:
• Egypt explained that its abstention was due to the lack of respect for decisions
taken by the General Assembly with regard to the scope and duration of the fifth
session of the Preparatory Committee. Those decisions were necessary elements
for the success of negotiations on that important issue.
• Pakistan said that it shared the concerns that arose from the illegal trade in
conventional weapons, but restricting the scope of the proposed treaty to trading
in arms was partial and lopsided. The exclusion of the important issues of
restraints on production, reduction in armaments and conventional arms control
remained controversial. Reference in the draft decision to the conclusion of
substantive work of the next Preparatory Committee session in February 2012,
in Pakistan’s view, did not accurately capture the factual work. It was Pakistan’s
understanding that the next session of the Preparatory Committee would discuss
and decide on organizational and procedural issues, not substantive ones.
• The Islamic Republic of Iran asserted that it abstained in the vote as it did not
share the aims of the proposed arms trade treaty, which it believed was not a real
solution to the problems of developing countries. It was affected by the illicit
trade in arms associated with the activities of terrorist groups and drug traffickers
and it had therefore supported efforts in the United Nations to address the issue.
However, it stressed that negotiations on an international instrument must be
conducted in accordance with established practices under international law. The
major problem of developing countries was the illicit trade in small arms and
light weapons, not the illicit trade in the seven categories of the Register, as
implied by other countries. The best approach would be to focus on the main
issues and to work constructively within the framework of the Programme of
Action on small arms, taking into account the concerns of all parties.
Chapter IV. Regional disarmament
66/22. Implementation of the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as
a Zone of Peace
In this resolution, which was last
introduced in 2009, the General Assembly
requested the Chairman of the Ad Hoc
Committee to continue his informal
consultations with Committee members
and to report through the Committee to the
General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session.
Introduced by: Indonesia, on behalf of the
States Members of the United Nations that are
members of the Movement of Non-Aligned
Countries (21 Oct.)
GA vote: 124-4-46 (2 Dec.)
1st Cttee vote: 124-4-45 (26 Oct.)
For text, sponsors and voting pattern, see
Yearbook, Part I, pp. 9-11.
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