Summary: July 10, 2003: Statement by H.E. Ambassador Carlo Trezza, Permanent Representative of Italy to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, on behalf of the European Union, at the thematic session on marking and tracing. Biennial meeting of states to consider the implementation of the programme of action on small arms (New York)
Madam President,
I have the honour of taking the floor on behalf of the European Union. The acceding countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, the associated countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and the EFTA countries of Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.
The European Union welcomes the work done by the UN Group of Experts, under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Sood, and awaits its conclusions, which will be presented at the 58 UN General Assembly. The EU hopes that the results of the UN Group of Experts will help enhancing national and international actions aimed at preventing the spread of arms of unknown origin, which contributes to regional destabilisation and fuels terrorist groups and transnational criminal organisations.
The new instrument should foresee increased cooperation among Member States and exchange - on the basis of confidentiality - of information relevant to identify and trace, in a timely and reliable manner, illicit small arms and light weapons. Such cooperation should be extended to the United Nations Security Council in the context of its arms embargoes, and to UN peacekeeping missions.
The EU also believes that the new instrument should require States parties to adopt a universal marking system of SALW that enables the identification of the manufacturers and of serial numbers worldwide.
Tracing of small arms and light weapons must be based on comprehensive and accurate record keeping on the manufacture, holding and transfer of small arms and light weapons, including - for international transactions - on the issuance and expiration dates of relevant authorisations, on countries of export, import and transit, on final recipients and on description and quantity of relevant arms.
Finally, the European Union welcomes the contribution offered over the last years by France and Switzerland on the specific issue.
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