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Disarmament DiplomacyIssue No. 43, January - February 2000US-EU Action Plan on Small Arms"US-EU Action Plan on Small Arms and Light Weapons", issued at the US-EU Summit, Washington, December 17, 1999."In support of the principles agreed by the United States and the European Union and to advance their common objectives, the US and the EU will take the following steps: 1. Establish a working group on small arms and light weapons for regular exchanges at the expert level. The working group will promote increased cooperation and information sharing … 2. Work together to address the problem of illicit trafficking in firearms … complementing other efforts to prevent the destabilizing accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons. 3. Coordinate efforts to provide assistance, in particular, where the problem of the destabilizing accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons is most severe. 4. Promote support for the observance and the enforcement of the Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) moratorium on the import, export and manufacturing of small arms in West Africa. 5. Promote the observance of UN Sanctions governing arms transfers to areas of conflict in Africa. Work together in the UN and in other fora to strengthen enforcement of arms embargoes established under the UN Security Council … 6. Cooperate in considering measures to combat illicit arms brokering and measures to prevent the unauthorized retransfer of small arms and light weapons. 7. Promote the inclusion in UN peacekeeping mandates and other relevant missions of effective measures to deal with the collection and destruction of small arms and light weapons … 8. Cooperate with appropriate bodies of the UN for more effective coordination of assistance in areas severely affected by small arms problems. 9. Work together in regional fora … to contribute to combating and preventing the destabilizing accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons … 10. Coordinate their planning for a successful outcome to the UN international conference on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons … including an Action Plan." Source: US Mission to the European Union, http://www.useu.be/summit/summit1299.html © 2000 The Acronym Institute. |