The Arab Group at the United Nations welcomes establishment of the Open-ended Working Group on conventional ammunition in order to create a comprehensive framework on dealing with the issue. Abdulaziz Al-Ajmi, Counselor at Kuwait’s permanent UN mission, spoke on behalf of the Arab Group about how this initiative will support safe, sustainable management of these weapons domestically, regionally and globally, and transparency and confidence-building between countries.
The diplomat stressed that all aspects of the issue should be dealt with independently within the current working group. The need for a flexible global framework that takes into account the particularities of each country was also emphasized. In addition, countries should be able to use these weapons to protect borders and national security. In addition, they should be able to prevent these weapons from falling into the wrong hands, specifically criminal gangs and terrorists.
The Arab Group stressed the importance of safe disposal of unexploded ordnance after assessing its technical condition, as well as the need for unconditional international cooperation between states. The Arab Group highlighted the importance of developing a comprehensive plan to address these related developments. They stressed the need to steer clear of vague terms and concepts in relation to the issue. In addition, they emphasized the need to avoid punitive measures against countries without specifying the specific party in each case.