UN arms control draft passes as India and Israel vote against

A UN arms control draft backed by Pakistan and Belarus cleared the General Assembly's First Committee on Monday, November 2, despite opposition from India and Israel. The committee recorded 180 votes in support, two against and no abstentions.

The proposal deals with conventional weapons control at regional and subregional levels. India and Israel cast the only opposing votes, according to the reports.

Explaining New Delhi's position, First Secretary Anmol Sher Bedi of India's Permanent Mission said conventional arms control needed a global perspective. He argued that national security concerns extend beyond geographically defined regions.

India questions need for another framework

Bedi said India's vote followed its established position. He challenged the draft's request that the UN Disarmament Commission consider principles for agreements dealing with conventional arms within regions.

The commission had already produced three consensus outcomes relevant to the subject, he noted. These comprised regional disarmament guidance in 1993, conventional arms control and disarmament guidance in 1999, and practical confidence-building recommendations concerning conventional weapons in 2017.

India questioned why the commission should undertake another round of work on a subject it had already examined extensively. Bedi also criticised the assumption that defence capabilities could realistically be balanced within a particular region or subregion.

The UN arms control draft takes a different approach. It says regional arrangements deserve priority because many threats to peace since the Cold War involve countries in the same geographical area.

It also seeks agreements that strengthen peace while keeping armaments and military forces as low as possible. Countries with greater military capabilities are assigned a particular responsibility in encouraging such arrangements.

India separately opposed a paragraph referring to conventional arms control proposals concerning South Asia. That paragraph also acknowledged consultations in parts of Latin America and linked conventional weapons control to regional security.

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