LONDON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Securing an effective and legally binding global arms trade treaty in 2012 is a priority for the British government, a foreign affairs official said.
A negotiating conference on establishing a global arms trade treaty is scheduled for July 2012 in the United States. International rights group Oxfam said any treaty reached next year should be a "bullet-proof" measure aimed at preventing the transfer of arms that fuel conflict and human rights abuses.
British Middle East and North African Minister Alistair Burt said, in a statement, that securing a robust arms trade treaty in 2012 was a priority for his country.
"We will continue to play a leading role in efforts to achieve that goal," he said.
In September, the majority of the members of the U.S. Senate expressed opposition to the treaty, making U.S. ratification unlikely.
Amnesty International this week said there was a "stark failure" in the control of arms exports. Before the wave of revolutions splashed across the Arab world, the rights group said, the United States, Russian and several European countries supplied huge quantities of weapons to repressive regimes in the region.
"We continue to work with our international partners to secure an ATT that effectively regulates the international trade in conventional arms; helping to reduce conflict and ensure a respect for human rights," said Burt.
