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Syria,Malta,Libya,Turkey

Turkey Fights to Stem Arms Smuggling

27 May 2013

National (Abu Dhabi)

ISTANBUL - Turkish custom agents knew exactly what they were looking for when they searched the Libyan-flagged fishing vessel. Thanks to a last-minute tip, what was supposed to be an empty cargo hold was discovered to be carrying almost 1,000 pump-action shotguns and more than 400 handguns. "Arms and munitions were discovered on a ship bound for Libya on April 21 in Istanbul," a Turkish official said. The discovery followed other major weapons seizures in the country... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: National (Abu Dhabi)

37497

Syria,North Korea,Iran,United States

Expert Says Explaining Benefits of Arms Treaty will Boost US Support

11 April 2013

New York Times, Opinion

On April 2, the United States joined an overwhelming majority of countries at the United Nations in voting to adopt a treaty regulating the international trade in conventional weapons — a monumental achievement after seven years of diplomacy, lobbying and out-and-out arm-twisting. The United States pushed for the General Assembly vote last week after securing, in a March conference, the treaty language its negotiators wanted. Yet now, just days after the United... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: New York Times

37313

Turkey,Syria,Russia,France

Turkish Authorities Seize Guns Bound for Syria

29 March 2013

RTÉ (Dublin)

Turkish authorities say they have seized thousands of guns in a warehouse by the Syrian border. A local news agency said the weapons had been destined for Turkey's war-torn neighbour. The firearms, including more than 5,000 shotguns and rifles, starting pistols, gunstocks and 10,000 cartridges, were discovered during a raid in a village on the edge of the Turkish town of Akcakale. The Dogan News Agency said the weapons were being stored on the edge of the border... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: RTÉ (Dublin)

37257

Iran,Syria,United Kingdom,Kenya,North Korea

Iran, N. Korea, Syria Block Arms Trade Treaty at Last Minute

29 March 2013

Australian (Sydney)

Iran, North Korea and Syria have held up agreement on the first global treaty on the $US80 billion ($A76.97 billion) a year conventional arms trade. The three states twice blocked moves to adopt a treaty by consensus at the end of 10 days of arduous talks at the UN headquarters. Kenya announced that a coalition of countries from around the world would now take the treaty straight to the 193-member UN General Assembly next week for approval. It can be passed with a two... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Australian (Sydney)

37253

India,Egypt,Syria,Russia,United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa

Urgent Call for Tighter Rules on International Arms Trade - Oxfam

12 March 2013

Oxfam International (Oxford), Media release

Draft Arms Trade Treaty text littered with loopholes which need fixing urgently to save lives More than 325,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives through armed violence since negotiations for a treaty to regulate the global arms trade for the first time ground to a halt in July last year, say Oxfam and Saferworld, part of the Control Arms Coalition. The Control Arms Coalition calls on world leaders to urgently adopt robust rules on international transfers... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Oxfam International (Oxford)

37183

European Union,Sweden,Myanmar,Syria

Stray Swedish Weapons Show Up in Syria, Myanmar Despite EU Ban

7 March 2013

Local (Sweden)

Syrian rebels appear to be using Swedish weapons, visible in a new video that has emerged from the civil war in which an anti-regime fighter cradles a well-known Swedish model of anti-tank rifle. TV4 news found the video in which a rebel fighter emerges with a Carl Gustaf rocket launcher perched on his right shoulder. The report dubs the weapon a "Swedish export success story". It is the second time in the past few months that Swedish weapons have made their way to... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Local (Sweden)

37152

Syria

Handmade Firearms in Syria [Francais]

22 February 2013

Le Figaro (France)

[Translated summary: PHOTOS - The Free Syrian Army is running short of weapons to fight a regular army armed with tanks, planes and helicopters. Thus, rebels now manufacture their own weapons.] EN IMAGES- L'Armée syrienne libre (ASL) manque d'armes pour affronter une armée régulière munie de tanks, d'avions et d'hélicoptères. Ainsi, face à l'ennemi, les rebelles fabriquent désormais leurs propres armes avec les moyens du... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Le Figaro (France)

37133

Switzerland,Saudi Arabia,Syria,Jordan,United Arab Emirates

Swiss Weapons Sale to Saudi Arabia Blocked on HR Grounds

23 January 2013

SwissInfo

The Swiss government has vetoed the planned sale by the firearms group KRISS of weapon components to Saudi Arabia, arguing that the weapons made from them could be used to violate human rights. The Swiss group's application for an export licence was for items worth SFr436,000 ($468,000), according to the economics ministry. The ministry said the application was for components for pistols to be sent to the United States for assembly, and then exported to Saudi Arabia... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: SwissInfo

36976

Syria,Kuwait

Kuwait Legislators Urge Govt to Enforce Firearm Laws, Confiscate Guns

28 August 2012

Arab Times

KUWAIT CITY - The recent allegations of gun possession by 'some' and shooting incidents have prompted some lawmakers to raise eyebrows and call on the authorities to take immediate action to collect guns from civilians because the situation is spinning out of control. MP Adnan Al-Mutawa called on the Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmed Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah to take swift measures to ensure illegal weapons are collected before the situation becomes unbearable. He added the... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Arab Times

36516

Kenya,East Africa,Syria,Uganda

Stemming Gun Violence in Uganda

28 July 2012

The Independent (Kampala)

United Nations diplomats from over 190 countries, including Uganda, are at the organisation's headquarters in New York discussing a pact to regulate the global arms trade. The Global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) would especially check the illicit trade in arms in a global arms industry that, while amounting to US$60 billion, remains unregulated. Advocates for the treaty say this lack of regulation of the arms industry is catastrophic, as it fuels conflicts that claim... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: The Independent (Kampala)

36408

Libya,Syria

The Increasing Cost of Black Market Guns in Syria

17 July 2012

New York Times, Blog

ISLAHIYE, Turkey — Abu Hamed, a former Syrian Army captain who is now a guerrilla commander fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad, sat cross-legged in a tent in a refugee camp this week, echoing one of the Syrian opposition's most common complaints. "We need weapons," he said. "All kinds of weapons." And then, as the conversation deepened and tea flowed, he spoke of prices. Mr. Hamed leads a battalion near Aleppo. The demand for weapons on his turf is so... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: New York Times

36346

Syria,Lebanon,Iran,China,United States,Liberia,Africa

Liberia President Warns of New Wars Without Strong Arms Trade Treaty

13 July 2012

New Age (Johannesburg) / AFP

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said on Thursday that Africa will face more conflict like her country's devastating civil war unless arms trade treaty negotiators produce a tough accord. The Nobel Peace Prize winning president told envoys negotiating a deal that they had "a once in a lifetime opportunity to agree tough controls on the arms trade." "The Liberian experience and other experiences in Africa and other parts of the world show that without such a... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: New Age (Johannesburg) / AFP

36330

Oceania,Russia,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,United States,Syria,Egypt,China,United Kingdom

UK to Push for Ammunition Control in Arms Trade Treaty

28 June 2012

Independent (UK) / Press Association (UK)

Britain is to push for ammunition sales to be covered by new international arms trade controls despite strong resistance from the US. The UK sees the inclusion of ammunition as an essential element of the proposed Arms Trade Treaty and will negotiate hard for it when a month-long conference opens at the United Nations in New York next week. But the British delegation faces opposition from a number of countries including China, Egypt and Syria but also its traditional... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Independent (UK) / Press Association (UK)

36286

Colombia,Chad,Sudan,Congo (DRC),Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,European Union,Pakistan,India,China,Africa,Russia,Syria

NGOs Set Minimum Specifications for Arms Trade Treaty [Francais]

27 June 2012

Le Monde (France), Opinion

[Translated summary: Associations, NGOs and hundreds of members of the global coalition "Control Arms" have set minimum specifications for the future Arms Trade Treaty. It will have to control all types of conventional arms and ammunition used by military as well as by law enforcement, since they can be used for serious human rights violations. ATT will include exports but also imports, transit and all types of transfers and all actors, such as arms brokers, like Viktor... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Le Monde (France)

36280

Sierra Leone,Yemen,Syria,Algeria,Iran,Somalia,China,Belarus,Italy,Germany,Bulgaria,Austria,Russia,Tunisia,United Kingdom,United States,Qatar,Sudan,Africa,Libya,Egypt,France

An Arms Buyback for Libya? – Analysis

9 June 2012

Eurasia Review (EU/Asia)

The Libyan civil war of early 2011 was one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history, with an estimated 30,000 killed and 50,000 injured. While Muammar Gaddafi's death marked a watershed moment in Libyan history, the months of frenzied violence that preceded it saw a massive buildup of arms and munitions in the country. In the months leading up to and after his fall, Gaddafi's arms warehouses all across the country became unsecured; such was the level of... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Eurasia Review (EU/Asia)

36228

Syria,Canada,United Arab Emirates,Venezuela,Lebanon,Iraq

No Gun Control Plus Idle Youth Equals Recipe for Trouble - Opinion

6 June 2012

National (Abu Dhabi), Opinion

'The weapon first, fighting second," goes an Arabic proverb, which pretty much explains why there is so much conflict in the world today. But it also describes perfectly what I have had the misfortune of seeing as I've travelled and worked in war zones across the region. I remember the time I was in Iraq, and the family I was staying with insisted that I carry some form of weapon as "defence" and protection. Even their grandmother carried a small hand gun in her purse... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: National (Abu Dhabi)

36217

France,United Kingdom,Somalia,Afghanistan,Egypt,Syria,United States,Africa

Excluding Ammunition from Arms Trade Treaty 'Totally Irrational' - Oxfam

30 May 2012

Oxfam International (Oxford), Media release

Excluding ammunition from new international Arms Trade Treaty would be "totally irrational" Global sales of ammunition are worth more than $4 billion and are growing at a faster rate than trade in guns, yet there is virtually no regulation in place to control where the bullets end up, according to international agency Oxfam, in a new report today. The report, 'Stop a Bullet, Stop a War,' has been published ahead of this summer's Arms Trade Treaty negotiations in New... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Oxfam International (Oxford)

36192

United States,France,United Kingdom,China,Pakistan,Venezuela,Cuba,Iran,Algeria,Egypt,Russia,Syria,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa

New Global Arms Treaty Must Set Tough, Legally Binding Rules - Oxfam

29 May 2012

Chicago Tribune / Reuters

LONDON - States must set legally binding global rules on weapon and ammunition sales, aid agency Oxfam said on Tuesday, ahead of a United Nations summit to agree an arms treaty to prevent arms reaching human rights violators. Citing the example of Syria, which has continued to receive arms shipments even as it is accused of killing more than 9,000 civilians in a crackdown on a popular uprising, Oxfam said it is vital that regulations on weapons sales are... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Chicago Tribune / Reuters

36186

Russia,Syria,United States,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa

Arms-control, Humanitarian Groups Push for 'Bullet-proof' Arms Treaty

24 May 2012

Bloomberg (USA)

Arms-control and humanitarian groups are pressing President Barack Obama to seek a tough international treaty restricting sales of conventional arms. "We are writing to encourage you and your administration to spare no effort to seize the historic opportunity to negotiate a robust, bullet-proof Arms Trade Treaty," groups including the Arms Control Association, Amnesty International USA and Oxfam America wrote in a letter to Obama. The United Nations will attempt in... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: Bloomberg (USA)

36165

Qatar,East Africa,Russia,North Korea,China,West Asia,North Africa,Syria,Mali,Libya,Belgium,West Africa

Small Arms Manufactured in Belgium Proliferate in Libya, Mali [Francais]

11 April 2012

L'Express (France) / AFP

[Translated summary: Notwithstanding risks of proliferation, small arms manufactured in Belgium circulate in Libya, Mali, and maybe tomorrow in Syria? Belgium is the biggest european exporter of small arms: in 2010, 32% of european exports of small arms to Middle East and North Africa came from this country.] Malgré les mises en garde à Bruxelles sur les risques de prolifération, les armes légères fabriquées en Belgique circulent de la Libye au Mali. Et demain,... (GunPolicy.org)

Read More: L'Express (France) / AFP

36014