U.S. sits on sidelines as more than 60 countries sign arms trade treaty

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/03/u-s-sits-on-sidelines-as-more-than-60-countries-sign-arms-trade-treaty/

U.S. sits on sidelines as more than 60 countries sign arms trade treaty
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, June 3, 2013 17:35 EDT

More than 60 countries on Monday signed a landmark conventional arms trade treaty, but the United States held back from joining the first wave of signatories while Russia and China are expected to stay out of the accord.

The UN-brokered treaty is the first covering weaponry of any kind for more than a decade and aims to bring transparency and protection of human rights into the often dubious $85 billion-a-year global trade.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the treaty will “put an end to the ‘free-for-all’ nature” of weapons dealing, according to his spokesman Martin Nesirky.

The treaty covers tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, as well as the vast trade in small arms.