§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what initiatives NATO is assessing to combat the spread and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons in the Euro-Atlantic area. [144423]
§ Mr. HainSince 1999, the Ad Hoc Working Group of NATO's Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) has focused on the problem of small arms proliferation. Until early summer 2000, this was chaired by the UK. Under its auspices, several countries have held seminars and workshops on issues such as stockpile management and security, weapons destruction and border controls. These have usefully contributed to the international debate on the issue. Bulgaria, Macedonia and Switzerland have announced plans to hold follow-up seminars in 2001.
Although no partner country has yet made a formal request for assistance on small arms under NATO's Partnership for Peace Work Programme, there were expressions of interest at an EAPC seminar on export controls held at the end of November 2000. Such assistance could include expert visits and training in issues such as border controls and end-use certification. It could also be used to work with partner countries on developing best practice in stockpile management and weapons destruction.
In considering its future work programme, the EAPC Ad Hoc Working Group on Small Arms is preparing a food-for-thought paper on priorities for action. This follows the adoption in November of the OSCE Document on Small Arms. My right hon. Friend spoke last year about the need for the EAPC to sustain its momentum on small arms in the context of strengthening security co-operation through the EAPC. This will be important in the run-up to the July 2001 UN Conference on Small Arms.