A UN General Assembly committee voted last night to begin work on a new treaty intended to strengthen arms embargoes and prevent human rights abuses by setting uniform global standards for arms deals.
The assembly's Disarmament and International Security Committee voted 139 to 1, with the United States casting the sole "no" vote, to approve the start of work on a new arms trade.
Another 26 nations abstained, including major arms sellers China and Russia and emerging exporters Pakistan and India.
But other emerging arms exporters, including Brazil and South Africa, supported the resolution, which now goes to the 192-nation General Assembly for a vote later this year.
Assembly approval is expected as all 192 of its members also sit on the disarmament panel. The measure would give the UN secretary-general a year to explore and report back to the assembly on the feasibility and scope of a binding international treaty establishing uniform worldwide standards for conventional arms deals.
The goal is to close loopholes created by the global marketplace. Although many nations have rules on arms deals, nothing prevents a buyer from shopping around in search of the lowest standards, or sellers with no standards at all.
Although there is no working text, supporters hope the treaty will end up blocking deals that might fuel an ongoing war, violate a UN arms ban, contribute to gross human rights violations or undermine a country's development by tying up all its financial resources.
The Bush administration said it was willing to endorse a set of voluntary principles aimed at guiding arms deals but would not back binding controls on transfers across national boundaries.
The idea of a new arms trade treaty was championed by Australia, Argentina, Britain, Costa Rica, Japan, Kenya and Finland, and 116 governments co-sponsored the resolution