Indonesia Abstains From UN Arms Trade Vote, Calling Treaty 'One-Sided'


Indonesia abstained from a landmark United Nations treaty regulating the global arms trade on Tuesday, arguing that it provided an unfair advantage to major arms exporters like the United States, Russia and China.

The Arms Trade Treaty aims to rein in the $70 billion global arms trade by making it harder for countries and armed groups with dodgy human rights to purchase weapons. It would require arms exporters to vet clients’ human rights records agreeing to a sale.

The treaty was voted in 154-to-3 by the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Twenty-three countries, including Indonesia, abstained from the vote.

“The Arms Trade Treaty is expected to reduce human suffering and improve trust among nations, as well as promote international peace,” Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday evening.

The Foreign Ministry said it agreed with the spirit of the regulation, but took exception with what Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa called the “one-sided authority” it gave to arms exporters.

Under the treaty, it is the responsibility of arms exporters to assess the human rights records of client countries.

“The draft gives an impression that arms trade is decided or influenced by conditions for weapons importers in regards to human rights abuses,” Marty said during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday. “This gives exporters a full, one-sided authority.”

The treaty could also conflict with Indonesia’s Law on Defense Industry, Marty said. The law stipulates that Indonesia can only purchase arms from sellers who can guarantee that there won’t be an arms embargo based on political conditions at the time or any limitations on how the weapons can be used.

Indonesia’ Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro echoed Marty’s statement.

“We share similar concerns,” he said.

Major arms sellers China and Russia also abstained from the vote. Iran, Syria and North Korea cast the three votes against the treaty.

The United States, the world’s largest arms exporter, voted in favor of the treaty despite strong opposition from gun lobbies back home.

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