[WCUSP] [womeninblack] pr by Luisa Morgantini, EP vice-president: STOP THE WEAPONS RACE:ARMS TRADE TREATY URGENT

[yvonne simmons]

> 
> NEWS UPDATE
> FROM THE GUE/NGL GROUP
> 
> BY LUISA MORGANTINI 
> 
> Vice President of the European Parliament  (GUE/NGL)
> 
> 
>   
> 
> STOP THE WEAPONS RACE:ARMS TRADE TREATY URGENT
> 
> 
>  
> 
> Brussels, 21th June 2007,
> 
>  
> 
> The death market is not facing a crisis. I am
> completely against the arms race of recent years,
> the violation of the proliferation Treaties and the
> media bombardment of irrational and frightening
> ideas, such as the one of a space shield, which,
> instead of bringing security, would lead to a more
> dangerous, unmanageable and crazy world", declared
> Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European
> Parliament. She added: "It is an historical
> contradiction that the 5 countries to have a
> permanent seat in the UN Security Council and, as
> such, are responsible for peacekeeping in the world,
> are also the biggest producers of arms and,
> therefore, of war".
> 
>  
> 
> "With this in mind, the European Parliament made an
> effort to provide political support to the Arms
> Trade Treaty, through the resolution put forward by
> Raul Romeva i Rueda MEP. 
> 
>  
> 
> It imposes legal limits to the arms trade, through
> control mechanisms and equal legal and ethical rules
> for all countries, thereby avoiding double
> standards".
> 
>  
> 
> According to SIPRI,(peace research institute based
> in Stockholm), in 2006 world military expenditure
> rose to 1,204 billion dollars, 3,5% more than the
> previous year. Nevertheless , the news from the
> international community is not exclusively negative:
> on 6 December 2006 the UN General Assembly approved
> Resolution 61/89, asking the Secretary General to
> verify the governments' opinions on feasibility,
> competences and measures on Arms Trade. 
> 
>  
> 
> "As Europeans - Morgantini said - we must listen to
> this voice of peace coming from three quarters of
> the world and sustain continuously and coherently an
> agreement involving NGOs and civil society and go on
> struggling in order to achieve a total ban on
> nuclear weapons, landmines, cluster bombs and arms
> containing depleted uranium.
> 
>  
> 
> I find it shameful - Morgantini added - that the
> same EU Member States play the biggest role in arms
> exports, reaching the record figure of 10.5 billion
> dollars, equivalent to 39,2% of all international
> transactions and 20% of the world trade in the
> sector. 
> 
>  
> 
> It is not acceptable that the Unites States, ranked
> number one in terms of military budgets (538.7
> billion dollars) represents 46% of all global
> military expenditure - figures understandable only 
> in the light of the military operations in
> Afghanistan and Iraq - and is the only member
> country of the United Nations that voted against the
> Treaty". 
> 
>  
> 
> The EU should set a good example and try to reach
> the same consensus achieved on the occasion of the
> moratorium against the death penalty, with the
> Italian government at the forefront. 
> 
>  
> 
> On the contrary, Italy - again according to SIPRI -
> has a military budget that has increased by 37% in
> 10 years (29.9 billion dollars) is ranked in eighth
> position for military expenditure and stands out for
> its negative record in surpassing, for the first
> time in 1985, the 800 million dollar mark in arms
> exports.
> 
>  
> 
> These data are unacceptable, especially considering
> that the Italian Government does not do much for 
> poor countries (being quite a distance from
> delivering the 0,7% of its GNP to  development
> cooperation; or the 280 million euro towards the
> Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
> 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Three quarters of the countries in the world, among
> them many countries that have recently been or are
> still involved in conflicts, have voted in favour of
> this resolution, launching an important message, a
> signal of the desperate need to channel the high
> amount of money wasted in the arms trade and used
> for spreading devastation and death towards
> activities aimed at a building a real sustainable
> development", concluded Luisa Morgantini. 
> 
>   
> 
> For further information  Luisa Morgantini 0039 348
> 39 21 465 Bruxelles office 0032 2 84 51 51
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> > _______________________________________________
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