Obama Administration to Sign U.N. Arms Trade Treaty “In the Very Near Future”
Posted on May 17, 2013
As we reported last month, on April 2, the United Nations General Assembly voted 153-4 to pass the Arms Trade Treaty, with the United States voting in favor and several countries abstaining. The vote in the General Assembly pushed the treaty process forward after negotiations twice failed to deliver on the goal of developing the treaty by consensus. The Obama Administration is expected to sign the treaty soon after it is opened for signature on June 3.
According to a May 16 Amnesty International article, a senior US diplomat—Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman—has confirmed the U.S. government will be quick to sign the new treaty. According to the article, Countryman said
Treaties have to be confirmed by two thirds of the Senate. Not going to happen soon.