Tag Archives: Weapons
17 June 2013
Cross posted on EJIL: Talk!
In the last few weeks, a shared responsibility trap has arisen in relation to the conflict in Syria. On 4 June 2013, the Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic documented that anti-government forces have engaged in a wide range of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. At the same time, several States are inching towards openly supplying the Syrian opposition with arms. On 27 May, the Council of Ministers of the European Union decided not to renew the arms embargo against Syria. On 14 June, the United States announced that it plans to provide weapons in response to its finding that Syria has used chemical weapons. (more…)
25 March 2013
The New York Times reports that in recent months, with help from the C.I.A., Arab governments and Turkey have sharply increased their military aid to Syria’s opposition fighters. The airlift has grown to include more than 160 military cargo flights by Jordanian, Qatari and Saudi cargo planes landing at Esenboga airport near Ankara, and at other Jordanian and Turkish airports. American intelligence officers helped the Arab governments shop for weapons, and vetted groups and rebel commanders to determine who should receive the weapons when they arrive.
Source: The New York Times | Arms Airlift to Syria Rebels Expands, With C.I.A. Aid
21 March 2013
Gun statue at the United Nations in New York © Amnesty International
On Monday 18 March, over 150 states reconvened in New York for the United Nations Final Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which will last until 28 March. The ATT aims to regulate the international trade of conventional weapons, and would require states to establish and maintain a national control system to regulate the export of conventional weapons. A final ATT will not obstruct the legitimate trade in conventional weapons, but would address illicit and irresponsible international arms trade. The draft ATT that forms the basis for current negotiations was not accepted during the previous UN Conference in July 2012, when negotiating states failed to reach agreement on the treaty text.
In a statement released before the Final Conference, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon declared that ‘It is our collective responsibility to put an end to the inadequate regulation of the global trade in conventional weapons’. (more…)
28 February 2013
The New York Times reports that Saudi Arabia financed a large purchase of infantry weapons from Croatia, which were secretly moved through Jordan to antigovernment fighters in Syria, according to United States (US) and Western officials familiar with the purchases. It is suggested by a Croatian newspaper that the US were possibly the intermediary.
The weapons supposedly included ammunition and ‘thousands of rifles and hundreds of machine guns’. Swiss-made hand grenades (that were provided to the United Arab Emirates) and Ukrainian-made rifle cartridges (that were purchased by Saudi Arabia) have also been found in the possession of rebels in Syria.
Source: The New York Times | Saudis Step Up Help for Rebels in Syria With Croatian Arms
28 October 2012
The New York Times reports that the Sudanese government accused Israel of an attack that destroyed a weapons factory in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Israel denied nor confirmed the accusations, but senior Israeli officials spoke about Sudan’s role in what they said was a weapons route leading from Iran via the Sinai desert to the Palestinian militant groups in Gaza and Lebanon.
Source: The New York Times | Official Silence in Israel Over Sudan’s Accusations of Air Attack