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Statement by
Mr. Chairman, Allow me first of all to congratulate you for chairing the Preparatory Committee (Prep.Com) for the 2006 UN Conference to review the implementation of the Programme of Action (PoA) to Prevent, Eradicate and Combat the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in all its aspects. My felicitations also go to the other members of the Bureau for their important contributions to this important assignment. At this meeting, my delegation would like to reiterate the importance of the PoA as a global instrument to address the serious challenges to humanity and security posed by the illicit trade in SALW. We have to bear in mind that the delay in our efforts to fully implement the PoA in preventing, combating and eradicating this urgent global problem will contribute to the unnecessary death of thousands every day. Although the PoA is generally considered only to be a politically binding document, it has provided the global framework for the further elaboration and development of international cooperation in dealing with the illicit trade in SALW. During the first and second Biennial Meetings of States (BMS), we recognize that progress has been made by member states on the implementation of the PoA at the national, regional and global levels. We also commend the efforts undertaken by non-governmental organizations in dealing with this issue in order to assist member states to implement some aspects of the PoA. Mr. Chairman, In Indonesia, the smuggling and trafficking of SALW has posed grave threats to our territorial integrity by sustaining separatist movements and fueling criminal activities. The illicit circulation of these weapons is not only untenable, but it is detrimental to our national security and stability. As the result of our intelligence cooperation and information exchange with the relevant authorities of neighboring countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, we discovered that separatist armed groups were involved in arms smuggling with the intent of using SALW in conflict areas such as Aceh and Papua. In our effort to implement the PoA at the national level, we have committed to putting in place the necessary foundations for further cooperation, information exchange and coordination among our relevant Government agencies. We also submitted our national reports for consideration at the first and second Biennial Meetings of States. Furthermore, we have also designated points of contact and national coordinating mechanisms. In post-conflict situation in Aceh, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Indonesian Government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) was signed on 15 August 2005. Under this MOU, the GAM agreed to undertake the decommissioning of all arms, ammunition and explosives and committed to hand over 840 SALW. The surrender of such armaments was executed in four stages and was successfully concluded by 31 December 2005. These positive developments demonstrate that the progress made in the implementation of the PoA by States will strengthen regional arrangements to deal with the issue of SALW. In this context, within the framework of ASEAN, Indonesia has made progress in its efforts to address the dangers posed by illicit trafficking and smuggling, particularly in the larger context of combating transnational crimes. In 1999, we adopted the so-called ASEAN Plan of Action to Combat Transnational Crime which serves as a guideline to deal with the issue of illicit SALW among the Southeast Asian countries. The adoption of this Plan of Action has also shown the link between the smuggling of SALW and other forms of transnational crime such as terrorism, money laundering and drug trafficking. Mr. Chairman, We recall that at the 2001 UN Conference, issues such as the regulation of civilian possession of SALW, their transfer to non-state actors, and assistance to victims of gun violence could not be resolved. It is our hope, therefore, that member states will adequately address these issues at the Review Conference with a view to resolving them within the framework of the PoA. We would also like, in particular, to emphasize the need for enhancing international cooperation and assistance as reflected in Section III of the PoA with a view to building the capacity of member states to fully implement the PoA. Therefore, member states in a position to do so should render their support and assistance in a transparent and mutually beneficial manner. Based on the reports submitted by states and organizations during the First and Second BMS Meetings, we recognize that the availability of international assistance and cooperation has continued to grow. But we believe that they are still not sufficient. In view of this, the establishment of specific international cooperation programmes and plans of action under the purview of the PoA could be thoroughly considered by the forthcoming Review Conference. These programmes and plans of action can cover issues in areas such as stockpile management and security; weapons collection and destruction; marking and tracing as well as transparency and information exchange. In addition, the PoA also provides a wide range of provisions to assist member states to implement their commitments by developing partnership through regional cooperation and collaboration with civil society. In this context, the continued development of international cooperation and assistance for assisting member states to develop their national plans and programmes of work for implementing all key aspects of the PoA continues to be important. Mr. Chairman, Prior to the Review Conference, there is an urgent need to formulate recommendations that would flow directly from what we have and have not achieved in our implementation of the PoA. It is the hope of my delegation, therefore, that substantial work should be put into this Prep.Com in order to identify the issues related to the implementation of the PoA that will need to be thoroughly considered at the Review Conference. We should have been able to identify and develop some ideas pertaining to the outcome that we expect from the Review Conference. And if necessary, we could also consider the possibility of adopting additional measures and actions within the framework of the PoA that could help to strengthen its implementation, but which do not hamper government to government transfer and cooperation. In 2001, it was clear that the mandate given to us for the forthcoming Review Conference is to review the progress made in the implementation of the PoA. We acknowledge that much has been achieved in resolving the issues related to illicit trade in SALW since the adoption of the PoA. These achievements stand in contrast to the existing overall lack of progress in many areas of arms control and disarmament. However, we have to be realistic and recognize that four years is not sufficient to implement the PoA in all its aspects. It would take a few more years to sufficiently curtail the illicit trade in SALW and to achieve significant over-all impact on the scale and magnitude of such arms and weapons. In conclusion, we would like to reiterate that the PoA remains the cornerstone of the comprehensive effort to build international cooperation to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in SALW. Therefore, we call upon member states to demonstrate their serious efforts to fully implement all the existing commitments under the PoA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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