Nuncio calls for international efforts to stop illicit arms trading

Published: 2005-07-12

UNITED NATIONS (CNS) -- Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Vatican nuncio to the United Nations, called July 11 for greater international cooperation to halt "the scourge of the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons." The "illicit trade" in such weaponry "is an obvious threat to peace, development and security," he said. "That is why the Holy See adds its voice to the calls for a common approach, not only toward the illicit trade in small arms but also to related activities such as terrorism, organized crime and the trafficking in persons," he added. Archbishop Migliore spoke on the opening day of a July 11-15 meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York to assess implementation of a plan of action adopted at a 2001 conference. That conference launched the U.N. effort to deal specifically with small arms.

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