United Nations, June 20 (IANS) Warning about the increased sophistication of small arms and the use of drones to get them to terrorists, India has called for universal condemnation of countries providing weapons to terrorists.
“The increase in volume and the quality of the arsenal acquired by these terrorist organisations reminds us time and again that they cannot exist without the sponsorship or support of States,” R. Ravindra, the Charge d’Affaires of India’s UN Mission, said.
“This aspect needs to be unequivocally condemned,” he said on Tuesday at the UN Conference reviewing the progress of the programme against illicit small arms. He did not name any country arming terrorists, but Pakistan is principally behind the flow of weapons to terrorists operating against India.
“For several decades, my country has suffered immensely due to cross-border terrorism and violence carried out by terrorist groups using these illicit weapons smuggled across our borders, including now through the use of drones,” Ravindra said.
“India views illicit possession and misuse of small arms and light weapons by non-state groups and terrorists as a violation of state sovereignty,” he said.
Under-Secretary-General Izumi Nakamitsu, speaking earlier, mentioned the dangers of terrorists getting small arms.
“There is nothing ‘small’ or ‘light’ about the damage these weapons cause,” she said. “They aggravate crime, displacement and terrorism.”
She warned: “The situation is growing worse, as new developments in the manufacturing, technology and design of small arms — such as 3D printing — make their illegal production and trafficking easier than ever before.”
Nakamitsu noted that the New Agenda for Peace proposed last year by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “calls for regional efforts across borders to stem the flow and trafficking of small arms and light weapons”.
Ravindra proposed a novel programme, Regional 911, bringing together countries in a region to dismantle arms trafficking, and improve tracking and security of small and light weapons to keep them out of the reach of “wrong hands”. He spoke of the scourge of the illicit trade and the transfer of small and light arms in vulnerable areas.
“In post-conflict situations, we often witness that non-State actors continue to possess these weapons illegally, which hinders disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration efforts,” he said.
“India maintains strict export controls over all munitions and related items, including small arms and light weapons,” he said.
He offered to share the nation’s expertise with countries New Delhi, he noted, is a member of the Wassenaar Arrangement, an international pact against the illegal transfer of arms and dual-use items. (Pakistan and China are not participants in it).
India has also signed all the thirteen counter-terrorism conventions and has ratified the UN Convention on Transnational Organised Crime and its Protocol on Firearms, he added.
(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
–IANS
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