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Human Rights Watch
March 25, 2003
NATO: Focus on Arms Trafficking
For Immediate Release:
(New York, March 25, 2003) - NATO should make
the fight against arms trafficking a top priority in Central
and Eastern Europe, Human Rights Watch said today. On March
26, foreign ministers of the seven countries invited to join
NATO are expected to attend the signing of the accession protocols
in Brussels.
The seven invitees - Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia - are expected to
join the alliance by May 2004, following ratification of the
accession protocols by parliaments of existing NATO states.
While the world is focused on the threat of
weapons of mass destruction and the current war in Iraq, the
dangers posed by the uncontrolled trade in conventional weapons
must not be ignored, Human Rights Watch said.
According to Human Rights Watch research,
potential future NATO members have trafficked conventional
weapons to warring parties who are committing serious human
rights abuse.
"NATO needs to set a clear standard on
the arms trade and help countries meet it," said Lisa
Misol, arms trade researcher with Human Rights Watch. "Countries
that fail shouldn't be admitted until they've cleaned up the
trade."
The flow of small arms and light weapons,
as well as heavier military equipment, from Central and Eastern
Europe to conflict zones in Africa and elsewhere has undermined
human rights protections for civilians in the recipient countries.
Human Rights Watch has documented that:
- Arms traffickers are often able to bypass
lax laws to supply weapons to illegal destinations.
- Governments continue to sell surplus weapons
from their arsenals to trouble spots around the globe.
- Governments continue to authorize arms
exports to destinations where the weapons risk fueling human
rights abuses and armed conflict.
NATO and member states have helped promote
important reform efforts in several invitee countries, Human
Rights Watch noted, but further work is needed.
"National parliaments should raise the
arms trade issue when accession comes up for a vote," Misol
said. She added that many NATO countries also need to show
leadership by improving their own arms trade behavior.
NATO's secretary-general, Lord George
Robertson, has highlighted the importance of arms trade controls.
In a December 2002 letter to Human Rights Watch, he identified "responsible
arms trading practices" as a component of the common
values NATO embodies and noted: "Support for arms control
is an indispensable component of the [NATO] Alliance's security."
Further information on arms trading from Central and Eastern Europe is
available at:
http://www.hrw.org/arms/cee.php
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