Arms treaty not harmful to India’s security interests: US
30 March 2013 7:14 AM IST
Following India’s deep concerns on the final draft of the UN arms treaty, the US on Friday said that the treaty that would regulate the multi-billion-dollar global arms trade will not harm India’s national interests. India, which had worked hard during the negotiations, had expressed its profound concerns on the final draft.
In her intervention during the closing arguments, India’s Permanent Representative to Conference on Disarmament, Geneva, and head of the Indian Delegation to the Arms Trade Treaty Conference Sujata Mehta said the final version fell short of India’s expectations and that of other like minded countries.
India, she said, has stressed consistently that the treaty should ensure a balance of obligations between exporting and importing states. ‘India cannot accept that the treaty be used as an instrument in the hands of exporting states to take unilateral force majeure measures against importing states parties without consequences,’ she added.
Tom Countryman, head of the US delegation to the Arms Trade Treaty Conference said, ‘While I appreciate the concerns that has been expressed very clearly by India’s representative here, my own view is that this treaty will not be harmful to India’s security and certainly not in any way harm the very strong bilateral relationship between India and the US.’
Iran, Syria and North Korea opposed the final draft text on the pretext that it fails to ban sales of weapons to groups that commit ‘acts of aggression.
In her intervention during the closing arguments, India’s Permanent Representative to Conference on Disarmament, Geneva, and head of the Indian Delegation to the Arms Trade Treaty Conference Sujata Mehta said the final version fell short of India’s expectations and that of other like minded countries.
India, she said, has stressed consistently that the treaty should ensure a balance of obligations between exporting and importing states. ‘India cannot accept that the treaty be used as an instrument in the hands of exporting states to take unilateral force majeure measures against importing states parties without consequences,’ she added.
Tom Countryman, head of the US delegation to the Arms Trade Treaty Conference said, ‘While I appreciate the concerns that has been expressed very clearly by India’s representative here, my own view is that this treaty will not be harmful to India’s security and certainly not in any way harm the very strong bilateral relationship between India and the US.’
Iran, Syria and North Korea opposed the final draft text on the pretext that it fails to ban sales of weapons to groups that commit ‘acts of aggression.
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