Wednesday, September 21, 2011

UN to help T&T destroy confiscated small arms: PM Kamla

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar told reporters Tuesday some small arms confiscated by the State will be destroyed by United Nations (UN) officials who will return to Trinidad & Tobago in October.

Persad-Bissessar was speaking at a news conference at Piarco International Airport shortly after her return home from UN meetings in new York, which she attended on Monday.

Last year at her first UN meeting as the head of government of Trinidad & Tobago Persad-Bissessar presented a motion on an Arms Trade Treaty which she hoped other nations would support.

She told the UN statistics show that illegal small arms from the region have been used in the majority of gun related murders.

Last year UN officials dealing with the proliferation of small arms visited Port of Sapin for discussions with Persad-Bissessar on the proposal for an arms treaty.

She told reporters, "The UN wants to do a disarmament treaty but they are concentrating on very large weapons to put into that treaty.

"Last year when I was there, I raised that issue of the small arms because I am of the view that more people are dying because of small arms than because of the large arms.

"The large arms come into effect when you have wars. Yes, there are wars in certain parts of the world but for us here, in our nations in the Caricom, the small arms are the most deadly," she said.

Persad-Bissessar say the process for a small arms treaty is continuing. She added, "In October, they (UN officials) will return to help us destroy some of the small arms."

Some American lobbyists have objected to The Small Arms Proliferation Treaty. They consider it an an infringement on their constitutional right to bear arms.

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Jai & Sero

Jai & Sero

Our family at home in Toronto 2008

Our family at home in Toronto 2008
Amit, Heather, Fuzz, Aj, Jiv, Shiva, Rampa, Sero, Jai