AFTER DECLINE, ARMS SALES ON THE RISE AGAIN - UN REPORT
New York, Sep 25 2003 4:00PM

Arms sales, which had dropped off at the end of the Cold War, have been
rising lately - despite being ineffective in fighting terrorism and having
a "negative impact on overall global security," according to a new United
Nations report.

The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters "noted with concern that global
military expenditures had been rising since 1998, after an observable
general decline immediately after the end of the Cold War,"
Secretary-General Kofi Annan writes.

He says the "the Board agreed that the rise in military expenditures in
general had a negative impact on overall global security and diverted
precious resources from social and economic development needs, especially
in developing countries."

The group also observed that "military means were in general not the most
effective options in resolving conflicts or in combating international
terrorism," he adds.

Among the Board's recommendations was the need for greater efforts to
prevent and halt the circulation of weapons, including small arms and light
weapons, particularly in local communities. Other suggestions include
enhanced disarmament education, the inclusion of human security
perspectives in the design of future disarmament programmes and preventing
the recurrence of conflicts in peace-making and peace-building pacts.

UN News Centre
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