Control Arms Coalition reaction: Arms Trade Treaty text

In response to the release of the revised text last night (Friday), Anna Macdonald, Oxfam's Head of Arms Control, said:

“We are extremely disappointed and don’t believe this is the best that diplomats can come up with after years of negotiations.

“The President of the Conference stated repeatedly he would listen to the voice of the majority but instead has spent too much time listening to the P5.

“This text is still not good enough and has major loopholes in it. The range of weapons covered in the previous draft is now even narrower and ammunition is still poorly covered. The criteria for assessing whether to go ahead with an arms transfer also remains too weak. These gaps – and others - must be urgently fixed.

“We need a treaty that will put in place tough rules that send a clear message to unscrupulous arms dealers that their time is up. Now is the moment to stand up to Human Rights abusers and dictators around the world and say ‘enough is enough’.”