* Original: FROM..... RIC DUNCAN (1:4831/17589)
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>From The New Gun Week, October  1997
        By Robert M. Hausman
UN SEEKS SURPLUS GUN DESTRUCTION, GLOBAL LICENSING
        After months of heated meetings, the United Nations (UN) Panel of
Governmental Experts on Small Arms, which is recommending how to best
implement global gun control measures, agreed to the terms of a
consensus report on July 18.  The report now goes to the UN assembly.
        The recommendations in the final report, according to the British
American Security Information Council (BASIC), an anti-gun group
involved in and monitoring the UN's global gun grabbing agenda, include:
urging nations to ensure "effective" control over possession and
transfer of small arms and "light weapons" by imposing licensing
requirements on all civilian possession of small arms and "light
weapons" in their territory; the development of national laws in all
states regarding which arms are permitted for civilian possession and
under which conditions they can be used; the initiation in all nations
of laws, regulations and administrative procedures to exercise effective
control over the legal possession of small arms and "light weapons" and
over their transfer in order, INTER-ALIA, to prevent illicit
trafficking; evaluating the feasibility of marking arms at the time of
manufacture; restricting manufacture and sales of small arms and "light
weapons" to government-authorized manufacturers and dealers; destroying
surplus weapons; improving border controls and training for customs
officials; and, continuing and expanding regional buy-up programs.
        Many issues remained contentious.  One such key issue was the
role of supply and demand in increasing or exacerbating "light weapons"
problems.  The Colombian representative was quoted as saying, "It was
difficult to deal with the demand and supply side of these weapons
because when you come down to it, you find demand is spurred by the
supply and vice versa."
        Discussions of the relative importance and feasibility of global,
regional, or national options for controlling "light weapons" were also
fraught with discord.  BASIC quoted a Western bloc representative as
saying there were, "a lot of little side battles going in, one of which
was the emphasis on things regions could do versus what the nation could
do versus what the UN could do ... It was a dogfight in the end, right
down to the last comma and semicolon.  These nonaligned members who had
been relatively academic turned viciously political."
        The panel placed emphasis on the destruction of surplus arms and
"weapons" that remain after conflicts end.  It specifically called for
an end to placing surplus arms in poorly guarded warehouses and urged
that the mandates for UN peacekeeping forces include destruction of
captured arms, rather than merely storage.  The panel also endorsed
holding a global conference on illicit transfers to highlight the issue
for the international community.
        The presence of a representative from the National Rifle
Association during the meetings was viewed by some panel members with
hostility and closed mindedness.  The NRA representative was said to
have given a brief presentation during the panel's July meeting but had
been unsuccessful in his attempt to engage the panel in dialogue.
        The Colombian representative was quoted as saying, "He went out of
there with his tail between his legs.  What they wanted from us was a
debate and nobody wanted to debate.  We didn't even comment on it ... I
don't think that had any influence on our work.  We all know what these
people are about."
        Panel members expressed uncertainty over the UN's next steps on
this issue.  They expect at least one General Assembly resolution to
endorse its report and suggest ways to implement its recommendations.
        The panel failed to agree on any substantive measures to expand or
strengthen the UN Register of Conventional Arms, notes Natalie J.
Goldring, BASIC's deputy director in an analysis of the panel's work.
        "During its earlier meetings," Goldring wrote, "panel members
suggested several significant changes to the register, including
expanding it to include new categories of arms, changing the definitions
of the existing categories of arms, requiring countries to provide
information on procurement through national production and arms
holdings, and requiring countries to indicate the specific types of
arms transferred.
        "The panel did not reach consensus on any of these measures.
Instead, the panel adopted a modest package of technical measures,
including publishing the voluntary information that countries provide
on military holdings and procurement through national production, and
giving the UN Secretariat a more active role in implementing the
register, "Goldring wrote.
        But one panel member who was optimistic about the outcome said, "A
firm foundation for some future development for the (small arms) registry
is in place.  We are capturing about 98 percent of the conventional arms
trade so the registry has been successful."
        The panel held three formal meetings in New York during March,
June and August and a regional workshop  in Tokyo in May.  UN
Secretrary-General Koki Annan has reviewed the panel's findings and
issued a favorable report in the UN General Assembly.
                The End
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