By Associated Press and Times staff April 2, 2013 ,10:10 a.m.UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the world body's first treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar international arms trade Tuesday, a goal sought for over a decade to try to keep illicit weapons out of the hands of terrorists, insurgent fighters and organized crime.

The resolution was approved by a vote of 154 to 3 with 23 abstentions. As the numbers appeared on the electronic board, loud cheers filled the assembly chamber.

A group of treaty supporters sought the vote after Iran, North Korea and Syria blocked the measure's adoption by consensus at the end of a two-week negotiating conference Thursday. The three countries voted no Tuesday, while Russia and China, both major arms exporters, abstained.

Many countries, including the United States, control arms exports. But there has never been an international treaty regulating the estimated $60-billion global arms trade.

Australian Ambassador Peter Woolcott, who chaired the negotiations, said the treaty will “make an important difference by reducing human suffering and saving lives.”

Enforcement could be a weak point for the agreement. Like many international pacts, “there’s not a blue-helmeted police force that goes in and writes them a ticket” if a country breaks the rules, Daryl Kimball, executive director of the U.S.-based Arms Control Assn., told The Times last week.

However, activists believe the agreement could give them more muscle when they urge international bodies such as the European Union or the U.N. Security Council to punish violators.

The Security Council is more likely to act if a country has trampled on an international treaty, according to Frank Jannuzi, deputy executive director of Amnesty International USA.

The treaty will not control the domestic use of weapons in any country, but it will require countries that ratify it to establish national regulations to control the transfer of conventional arms, parts and components and to regulate arms brokers.

It covers battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, small arms and light weapons. A phrase stating that this list was “at a minimum” was dropped, according to diplomats, at the insistence of the United States. Supporters complained that this limited the treaty's scope.

The treaty prohibits states that ratify it from transferring conventional weapons if doing so would violate arms embargoes or promote acts of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. It also prohibits the export of conventional arms if they could be used in attacks on civilians or civilian buildings such as schools and hospitals.

In considering whether to authorize the export of arms, the treaty says a country must evaluate whether the weapon would be used to violate international human rights or humanitarian laws or be used by terrorists or organized crime. They must also determine whether the weapons transfer would contribute to or undermine peace and security.

The treaty also requires parties to the measure to take steps to prevent the diversion of conventional weapons to the illicit market.

Ammunition was a key issue in negotiations, with some countries pressing for the same controls on ammunition sales as arms, but the U.S. and others opposed such tough restrictions.

The final text calls for each country that ratifies the treaty to establish regulations for the export of ammunition “fired, launched or delivered” by the weapons covered by the convention.
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