UN committee advances arms-control draft, 180-2

The UN General Assembly’s First Committee approved a regional conventional arms-control draft by 180 votes to two on November 2, with no abstentions, advancing the measure to the full Assembly for consideration. India and Israel were the only countries to vote against it. The committee vote was not final approval by the General Assembly. Pakistan introduced the draft, which promotes conventional arms-control arrangements at regional and subregional levels. Pakistan’s representative said regional and global arms-control efforts are complementary and that conventional arms control contributes to peace and security at both levels. India’s representative, Anmol Sher Bedi, said New Delhi opposed making regional and subregional arrangements the primary framework. He argued that security concerns extend beyond regional borders and that conventional arms control should be addressed as a global issue. Bedi also questioned a provision asking the UN Disarmament Commission to consider principles for regional arms-control agreements. He cited three earlier consensus outcomes: guidelines on regional disarmament in 1993, guidelines on conventional arms control and disarmament in 1999, and...