The U.N. Never Ceases to Amaze" - UN Conference on Arms Trade Treaty Selects Iran as Vice-Chairman

The U.N. Never Ceases to Amaze - UN Conference on Arms Trade Treaty Selects Iran as Vice-Chairman.(Fars).The Iranian delegation attending the United Nations Conference on Arms Trade Treaty was elected as the vice-chairman of the meeting being held in New York. The month-long talks were scheduled to kick off July 2 but were delayed until the night of July 3 after a dispute over whether non-members Palestine and The Holy See would be allowed voting rights. The main goal of the conference is compiling a treaty to legalize the trade of all conventional weapons. It is expected that the participants discuss the possible challenges facing the conventional weapons' transfer at the international level and compile a treaty to counter the phenomenon. Calling it a "disgrace" that there is no international agreement regulating global arms sales, the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon yesterday opened a month-long conference that aims to negotiate one to curb black markets and deny weapons to repressive regimes, terrorists and nations at war.
"It is ambitious, but I believe it is achievable," Ban told the delegates in New York representing more than 150 countries. "Our common goal is clear." Such unregulated weapons kill 1,500 people each day, up to 750,000 a year, according to Amnesty International USA. The proposed Arms Trade Treaty, in the works for six years, requires 65 nations to ratify it before it is legally binding on those countries. It would cover all conventional weapons, from small arms to tanks, warships and missile systems. It would require ratifying countries to regulate imports, exports and weapons passing through their territories. Countries would have to publish their sales yearly and register arms brokers, according to the draft treaty. The treaty asks countries to decide on sales, based on certain criteria. Arms deals contributing to human-rights violations, including terrorism, genocide or other war crimes, should not be authorized. Other criteria include whether arms would undermine peace or prolong a conflict, be diverted to the black market, hurt the economy of the purchasing nation or if the sale involved corruption.Hmmmm.....No matter what being discussed at the UN you can be sure they'll  target Israel....one way or another.Read the full story here.