Holy See diplomat urges nations to implement weapons treaty

November 17, 2014

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See’s leading diplomat at UN offices in Geneva, urged states that have signed a 1980 weapons treaty to implement it, lest it risk becoming a dead letter.

“The most perfect instruments would be useless if their implementation had no concrete consequences for men and women living in areas of armed conflict,” Archbishop Tomasi said at a November 15 UN conference devoted to the Conventions on Certain Conventional Weapons.

“The many recent conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, North Africa, Europe, remind us of our responsibilities regarding explosive remnants of war and abandoned ordinances,” he added. “Apart from the safety of civilians, we are witnessing national and regional destabilization because of the lack of safety and security of stocks, that the international community is unable or not prepared sufficiently to prevent.”

 

---

For all current news, visit our News home page.

---

 
Further information:

• Statement of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (Holy See Press Office)
• Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (Wikipedia)