By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Security Writer

Washington -- As representatives from more than 150 nations prepared to gather for a U.N. plenary session on the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons, a senior U.S. official said the United States "is not looking to give lessons to the world, we are, rather pointing out that the United States has one of the most effective systems in the world for controlling the licensing, the export, the transfer and the re-transfer" of these weapons.

The official, who briefed on the condition of anonymity, said there is no expectation that other nations should follow the U.S. model exactly, but the United States will be encouraging nations at the conference to adopt similar practices. "Obviously, every nation will have its own individual experience to bring to bear," he said, but what has been proposed in a document to be considered by conference delegates "is that there could be a conference or a seminar to discuss what we call model brokering regulations, where nations would come together and share their experiences on brokering."

The United States already has one of the strictest brokering laws in the world, he noted, members of the U.S. delegation would be most happy to share information on how the United States conducts its brokering arrangements and to "encourage other nations to think about developing brokering regimes" at home.

The U.N. Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects opens in New York on July 9 and runs through July 20. The head of the U.S. delegation will be Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton.

In answer to a question about the absence of Secretary of State Colin Powell at the conference, the senior U.S. official said Powell addressed the small arms issue during his recent trip to Africa. When he was there the secretary talked about "the need to try to get a handle on the problem," the official said, and when conflicts are finally resolved to try and destroy excess weapons.

The official emphasized that Powell's absence does not indicate any lack of commitment on his part or that of the United States. The United States has a strong contingent representing it including participation by congressional representatives and other agencies such as the Department of Defense, he said.

The official was asked about U.S. efforts to work with American arms manufacturers on the subject of establishing better weapons transfer controls. "We have had continuing dialogue with both NGOs (non-governmental organizations) who are interested in this subject, also with industry representatives," he said. Industry as a whole has "a positive role to play" and is ready and willing to do so, he said, because they don't want to be associated with weapons traveling illicitly into zones of conflict. "But if nations will develop reliable regimes and good brokering and control systems, then the legal manufacture is not a part of the problem; it's when it gets out of the system and gets into the grey area and the black area," he added.

While it is difficult to estimate the number of weapons floating around the world as a result of illegal trade, the official suggested that it is in the range of 100 to 500 million. He said the purpose of the upcoming conference "is to try to come up with a document which commits nations to take some practical and effective steps to address the problem."

The official also made the point that the conference is not at all about the legal manufacture of, trade in, and possession of firearms. The mandate of the conference also excludes issues related to domestic gun control issues. "Lawful manufacture, trade and possession are not the problem and the U.S. strongly opposes efforts to further restrict these lawful activities," he said.

Additional information on the U.S. position regarding small arms and light weapons is available at http://www.usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/arms/smllarm/