Transatlantic Security
Back to the main
page on Transatlantic Security
Small Arms and Light Weapons
Back to Small Arms and Light Weapons
page
Small Arms Working Group (SAWG)
Press Release
9 July 2001
Small Arms Working Group Condemns Bolton Statement at
UN
The Small Arms Working Group (SAWG), an alliance of U.S.-based
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals, strongly
condemned the statement of U.S. Under Secretary of State John
Bolton at the UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small
Arms and Light Weapons in all its Aspects. The Bush appointee
hardened the position of the United States on the Conference's
attempt to combat the proliferation and misuse of small arms.
Bolton stressed that the Conference should address only the
illicit transfer of military style weapons, excluding firearms
and non-military rifles. Bolton adamantly stated that the
United States will not join any consensus viewed as infringing
on rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution.
"What we actually heard was the National Rifle Association
speaking from the podium, repeating their tired misrepresentation
of the Second Amendment" said Michael Beard, President of
the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Tamar Gabelnick, Director of the Arms Sales Monitoring Project
at the Federation of American Scientists argued that Bolton
is projecting the concerns of domestic lobbyists onto the
problem affecting other countries. "It is precisely those
weapons that Bolton would exclude from the purview of this
conference that are actually killing people and endangering
communities around the world."
The Bush Administration representative laid out additional
U.S "redlines", items unacceptable for inclusion in the Conference
plan. Bolton stated that the United States could not support
a final Conference document that included:
- restrictions on the legal trade and manufacture of small
arms and light weapons;
- promotion of international advocacy by NGOs and international
organisations;
- restrictions on the sale of small arms and light weapons
to entities other than governments;
- a mandatory review conference; and
- a commitment to begin discussions on legally binding agreements.
"Bolton's red lines are in fact red lights, halting effective
international action on small arms and endangering the success
of the conference", said Michael Crowley, Senior Analyst at
the British American Security Information Council (BASIC).
Rachel Stohl, Senior Analyst at the Center of Defense Information
challenged Bolton's position, noting that without the inclusion
of the items Bolton identified as "redlines", the conference
process, and indeed the efforts to counter the proliferation
and misuse of small arms would be undermined. "Attaching redlines
to controls on legal trade and manufacturing is illogical
as the United States already has many of these mechanisms
in place. To not push U.S best practice at a minimum is unacceptable",
Stohl noted.
Noting Bolton's criticism of civil society advocacy, Loretta
Bondi, Advocacy Director at The Fund for Peace, said that
the Bush Administration appears to reject the voices of the
victims of small arms violence. "We have heard the U.S.'s
closes allies taking quite a different stand on this issue",
Bondi stated. "The U.S position will further isolate the United
States from the world community."
Statement by John
Bolton, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control
and International Security Affairs, 9 July 2001.
Small Arms Working Group
For more information contact Rachel Stohl, (1) 703 593 1989
Back to UN 2001 links
Back to Small Arms
and Light Weapons page
|
