The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations says a draft UN treaty to regulate the multibillion-dollar international arms trade contains legal shortcomings.Mohammad Khazaei said in an address to the final UN conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in New York on Thursday that despite efforts by Iran to rectify various legal flaws in the draft treaty within the framework of serious and constructive negotiations, the preparation of the final draft had been politically motivated and the draft was biased.
The Iranian envoy stated that confrontation with acts of aggression was the main objective of the UN, but the current draft ignored the demand of many countries to prohibit the transfer of arms to aggressors.
Khazaei said the Islamic Republic had been a victim of foreign aggression, adding that Irans main question was how human suffering could be reduced while turning a blind eye to the issue of providing arms to aggressors.
Certain paragraphs of the draft have been prepared in favor of a number of particular states, he stated.
Khazaei further expressed regret that efforts to approve a balanced and non-discriminatory agreement had been ignored during the UN conference.
Iran UN envoy has also pleaded with the head of the world body for more UN support of the Palestinian people against persistent Israeli atrocities, including economic blockades against Palestinians and detention and torture of children.
Mohammad Khazaei, who also serves as the chairman of the coordination center of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), met with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council president on Thursday as part of a group representing Palestinian, Islamic and Arab organizations. During the meetings, he pressed for more practical steps on the part of the UN to make the Zionist regime accountable for its actions against the Palestinian population in Gaza and other Palestinian territories.
In a press briefing following the meetings, Khazaei said he had reminded the UN officials of the continuing Zionist aggressions against the Palestinian nation, including the freezing of tax revenues collected from the Palestinian people, the detention, interrogation and torture of Palestinian youth by the Tel Aviv regime, as well as the expansion of Zionist settlements and the issue of al-Quds (Jerusalem).
Responding to questions regarding the illegal Arab League move in turning over Syrias seat at the organization to anti-Damascus insurgents and the possibility of attempting similar efforts at the United Nations, the Iranian envoy strongly rejected the idea as a very dangerous move that undermines international laws and regulations.
He also warned that if such efforts are extended from regional organizations to the world body, it would lead the United Nations towards disintegration and total collapse.
If insurgent gangs and opposition groups were to replace governments in regional and international organizations, it would definitely set a dangerous precedent, Khazaei insisted.
By US Close Up
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