New York, July 7, IRNA – Iran has been elected as deputy for the talks to regulate global arms trade treaty.
Some 193 participating countries unanimously voted in favor of Iran during the 4th day of the meeting underway in the United Nations headquarters to draft a bill on regulating arms trade in the world.
The month-long expert meeting is to examine ways of confronting unregulated trade of arms and ammunition.
During the opening ceremony, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticized some countries for reckless export of arms and urged all world governments to cooperate with his organization in compiling rules for arms trades.
The Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty too described the global arms trade as a deadly activity, noting that arms trade is a major factor contributing to lengthy crises and bloody clashes in Libya.
He urged all international bodies to severely deal with the issue.
Shetty further pointed out that based on official records, over 500,000 people lose their lives annually due to armed conflicts, adding that armed conflicts have left over 43 million people homeless worldwide.
He said armed conflicts claim live of one person per minute across the world.
Before the meeting started, members of a world coalition, comprising 25 non-governmental organizations from 125 world countries, gathered in front of the UN headquarters opposing the lethal arms trade.
