Concluding Statement
In My Opinion
--C. Schmalz

Developing nations are spending billions of dollars on conventional weapons every year, and developed nations are reaping the profit. According to Dr. Oscar Arias, $23 billion a year is spent on arms transfers. The United States alone accounted for 45 percent of this amount. Ironically, 84 percent of those U.S. arms transfers went to countries the U.S. State Department described as preventing its citizens from creating a democracy.

Simply put, the United States leads the world in arming dictators, according to Sanchez.  Sanchez also said the Forum will be unable to accomplish its goals unless we reverse the irresponsible arms transfers of major suppliers. 

"The result of recent decades of unfettered arms transfers is clear," he said, as we've seen "devastating civil and international conflicts, and a substantial barrier to economic development, basic human needs, and democracy."

With over 30 civil wars being waged across the globe and almost half of developing countries living under repressive dictatorships, Sanchez feels that we are still a world at war.

Sanchez won the Nobel Peace prize for his efforts to mend countries torn in civil war. He and a group of other Nobel Peace Prize Laureates have a plan. They call it the "International Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers."

Although it is still very much in the planning stages, the code's initiators believe it will have substantial merit.

The code's preamble states that internationally transferred arms and ammunition are frequently used to facilitate human rights violations and to prevent democratic governance in contradiction of international human rights law. It also states existing concern that international arms transfers can undermine social and economic development in both exporting and importing  countries by diverting scarce resources.

Some major holes in the code came up during a round table discussion of various leaders and Forum participants. Richard Butler, Australia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, pointed out the lack of a long term goal regarding the complete abolition of arms transfers.

George Shakhnazarov, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was the most outspoken about the preliminary code of conduct. Enforcement was his major concern. "This is unprecedented in the history of the United Nations," Shakhnazarov said through an interpreter. What we propose is an international court, that will have judicial review and enforcement. To draft such a document we need a legal framework."

He also supported Butler when he said, "If there's a supply, there's a demand," suggesting the code doesn't address the issue on both sides of the transactions. "If we only address the issues of buyers we won't accomplish anything," he said. Shakhnazarov stressed his support for the implementation of the code and warned against making any rash movements.  "This is probably the first of its kind," he said. "I think we need to overhaul the entire document."

--Craig Schmalz
25 year old Student, San Francisco State
cschmalz@pacbell.net