New SIPRI paper on Ukraine's small arms and light weapons exports
Wassenaar Arrangement: Public Statement, 2007
Public Statement
2007 Plenary Meeting of the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies
The thirteenth Plenary meeting of the Wassenaar Arrangement, chaired by Ambassador Cristina Funes-Noppen of Belgium, was held in Vienna on the 4th, 5th and 6th of December 2007. This meeting concluded the third assessment, which is undertaken by the Arrangement every four years to carry out a wide-ranging review and evaluation of its overall functioning and its contribution to regional and international security and stability by preventing destabilising accumulations of conventional arms.
In the context of the assessment, Participating States believed that the Wassenaar Arrangement has kept abreast of the main security challenges and was well-placed, within the realm of its competence, to address the risks posed by conventional arms. Participating States felt that the Arrangement was measuring up well to its purposes as set forth in its Initial Elements. In the framework of the assessment process, the focus was on the following main areas: Best Practices of Export Control Regulations, Re-export Control of Conventional Weapons Systems, Transparency, and Outreach. Participating States agreed that the Arrangement’s active operation has allowed them to detect and deny exports incompatible with the Arrangement’s goals and promoted effective export controls.
The Arrangement continues to keep pace with advances in technology, market trends and international security developments, such as the threat of terrorist acquisition of military and dual-use goods and technologies. The Plenary agreed to a significant number of amendments to the control lists, including some in technically complex and challenging areas such as on low-light level and infrared sensors. Particular attention has been given to items of potential interest to terrorists such as devices used to initiate explosions and specialized equipment for the disposal of improvised explosive devices as well as equipment that could help protect civil aircraft from Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) attacks. Participating States also worked actively to make the existing control text more easily understood and “user-friendly” for commercial exporters and licensing authorities. Some 2,500 editorial changes were made to the Lists. The Plenary welcomed the first dialogue at the technical level between the Wassenaar Arrangement Experts Group and its counterpart from the Missile Technology Control Regime which took place in 2007. This dialogue was aimed at developing a common understanding of terminology and technical parameters on controls of certain navigation equipment.
In view of continuing international concerns about the acquisition of MANPADS by unauthorised users, the Plenary approved amendments to the 2003 Elements for Export Controls of MANPADS to ensure its more effective implementation.
Recognising the importance of Section I, paragraph 1 of the Initial Elements and specifically that the WA has been established in order to contribute to regional and international security and stability by, inter alia, promoting greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms thus preventing destabilising accumulations, the Plenary adopted Best Practices to Prevent Destabilising Transfers of Small Arms and Light Weapons through Air Transport containing a series of specific measures that may be taken at national level regarding non-governmental air transport of small arms and light weapons. The Plenary agreed to update the 2002 Best Practices for Exports of Small Arms & Light Weapons to bring them in line with language adopted by the UN in 2005 on marking and tracing of small arms and light weapons.
The Plenary agreed to continue to undertake outreach through dialogue with non-Participating States and international organisations relevant to the purpose and objectives of the Arrangement with the aim to also promote, through the sharing of, the Arrangement’s best practices related to export controls.
The Plenary approved a Statement of Understanding on End-Use Controls for Dual-Use Items which recommends the application of flexible risk management principles to all three phases of end-use controls – pre-licence, application procedure and post-licence – in order to subject sensitive cases to a greater degree of scrutiny.
At its meeting, the Plenary reiterated that the Wassenaar Arrangement is open, on a global and non-discriminatory basis, to prospective adherents that comply with the agreed criteria.
The Plenary thanked the Chair, Ambassador Cristina Funes-Noppen, and her predecessor Ambassador Philippe Nieuwenhuys, both of Belgium, for their valuable contributions to the work of the Arrangement in 2007. The Plenary also thanked Ambassador Christian Braun (Luxembourg) for his chairmanship of the General Working Group, Ms. Martina Feeney (Ireland) for her leadership of the Experts Group list-review process, and Mr. Steven Goodinson (Canada) for his leadership of the Licensing and Enforcement Officers’ Meeting (LEOM) over the past year. Finally, the Plenary expressed its appreciation and gratitude to Ambassador Sune Danielsson (Sweden) as Head of the Wassenaar Arrangement Secretariat and his staff for ongoing support.
The next regular Wassenaar Arrangement Plenary meeting will take place in Vienna in December 2008. Bulgaria will assume the Chair of the Plenary from the 1st of January 2008. Bulgaria has nominated its Permanent Representative to Vienna.
Vienna, 6 December 2007
The Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies was established on the basis of the Initial Elements adopted in July 1996 (see web site: www.wassenaar.org). Meetings are normally held in Vienna, Austria, where the Arrangement is based. Currently the Participating States of the Wassenaar Arrangement are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.