Trump urges China, Russia, US arms control in Putin call: W.House

Yahoo – AFP, May 7, 2020

US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin discussed arms control
issues in a phone call (AFP Photo/JIM WATSON, EMMANUEL DUNAND)

US President Donald Trump called Thursday for involving China in new arms control talks with Russia, telling his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that they need to avoid a "costly arms race," the White House said.

"President Trump reaffirmed that the United States is committed to effective arms control that includes not only Russia, but also China, and looks forward to future discussions to avoid a costly arms race," a statement said.

Trump and Putin spoke by phone, also discussing the global coronavirus pandemic, the White House said.

"President Trump reiterated that the United States is working hard to care for Americans at home and is also ready to provide assistance to any country in need, including Russia," the statement said.

Russia and the United States -- rivals during the four decades of the Cold War -- ripped up the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty this year, blaming one another for its demise.

That deal was seen as a cornerstone of global security and its burial sparked fears of a new arms race.

Washington is threatening to quit the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or "New START", when it expires next year.

New START -- which obliged them to halve the number of missile launchers and set up a new verification regime -- is seen as the last major deal keeping their arsenals below the Cold War peak.

However, Trump has been pushing for China to be brought into a future deal, arguing that Beijing's missile and nuclear capability is rapidly expanding.

Japan urged to sign UN nuke ban on Hiroshima anniversary

Yahoo – AFP, August 6, 2019

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui (R) used the 74th anniversary of the atomic bombing 
of the city to urge the administration to sign the UN treaty on the prohibition of 
nuclear weapons (AFP Photo/JIJI PRESS)

The mayor of Hiroshima urged Japan to sign a landmark UN treaty banning nuclear weapons as the city Tuesday marked 74 years since being targeted in the world's first atomic attack.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe led commemorations at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima as residents offered silent prayers, lit candles and placed wreathes to remember those killed in the August 6, 1945 bombing.

And mayor Kazumi Matsui used the occasion to push the Abe administration to sign the UN treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons (TPNW), approved by more than 120 nations, but rejected by the US and other nuclear armed countries.

"I call on the government of the only country to experience a nuclear weapon in war to accede to the hibakusha's (atomic bomb victims) request that the TPNW be signed and ratified," said Matsui.

"I urge Japan's leaders to manifest the pacifism of the Japanese constitution by displaying leadership in taking the next step towards a world free from nuclear weapons."

The mayor urged world leaders to come to the city to see the memorial for themselves, amid expectations that Pope Francis will visit later this year.

Graphic on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Japan on August 6, 1945 

(AFP Photo/AFP)

The ongoing threat from atomic weapons in the region was demonstrated as nuclear-armed North Korea fired off two "unidentified projectiles" off its eastern coast -- the latest in a series of tests.

Meanwhile, the US and Russia failed to renew a Cold War-era nuclear pact last week, triggering renewed fears of an arms race.

Japan remains the only country to have experienced atomic attack -- against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, days ahead of the country's surrender on August 15, 1945 to end World War II.

For his part, Abe reiterated a pledge to serve as a "bridge" between nations with and without nuclear weapons to rid the world of them.

"With help from both sides, I will patiently encourage them to engage in dialogue and I am resolved to lead international efforts towards this end," he said.

141 countries joined in drafting the treaty that they hope will increase pressure

on nuclear states to take disarmament more seriously  (AFP Photo/Amanda VOISARD)

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A huge dome is shown in 1980 covering a crater left by one of the 43

nuclear blasts on Runit Island, in the Marshall Islands, the fallout from

which is expected to last 25,000 years (US Defence Nuclear Agency/AFP)

Marshall Islands sues nine nuclear powers over failure to disarm

Islanders afraid to go home 60 years after Bikini Atoll H-bomb

Ten nations urge new push for non-proliferation - (30 April 2011)

“.. Westerwelle told journalists that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the international Nuclear Test Ban Treaty should be adopted by all countries, adding that the production and mining of all fissile material for nuclear weapons should be banned internationally. He called for resuscitating the Geneva Disarmament Convention.

Attending the talks with Germany were Japan, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Chile, Poland, Mexico, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Last year, these countries formed the group Friends of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. ..”

‘Those silly things are still there’: US nukes stored in Netherlands

22 American nuclear bombs are stored in the Netherlands: media
WikiLeaks confirms presence of US nuclear arms in Netherlands

Nuclear Powers to Sign Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone
China calls for joint efforts to advance nuclear disarmament
Xi says China will stick to denuclearization of Korean peninsula


"Fast-Tracking" - Feb 8, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Reference to Fukushima / H-bomb nuclear pollution and a warning about nuclear  (> 20 Min)

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  8 - The End of War

The last one is the best. For thousands of years on this planet, Human Beings have warred with each other. If you take a look at the reasons they warred with each other, you will quickly see there aren't any good ones - land, resources, greed. Those are not reasons. That is a description of old energy. Those are not reasons. Reasons would be perhaps defense against an aggressor. But what if there is no longer the consciousness of the aggressor?

When I appeared in my partner's life more than 20 years ago, I said to him privately that the first messages we're going to give will be unbelievable. There would be laughter. We told him that Human nature and consciousness itself would change, and that the seeds of peace would be planted and there would come a time where there is no more war. Indeed, the laughter was great because humans look at history and they see patterns based on an absolute energy called Human Nature. "Impossible! There always has to be war. There always has been. Therefore, there always will be." This is you, in a box, in a black and white potential, where you can only see the black and white of what is and the black and white of what has been. You have no idea the shades of color that are there in your consciousness and the beauty of the love of God.

North Korea is on the edge of change, as we told you it might be. What did this require? The death of the old energy, and I want you to watch this take place. The advisors of the young leader are going to do their best to pull him back into an old energy. This free choice of his will be far different than his father, for he sees some color. Watch for these things. They'll take longer than you want, but it is the beginning of the beginning.

You'll see a fresh unification of South America sooner than not, for what is going to take place potentially this year in Venezuela. You'll see Iran changing. We have no clock. These are the potentials. These can change with free choice. These are not prophecies. This is a reality shift, dear ones, so number eight becomes the propensity not to war again. This is what Humans are going to want. This is what governments are going to want. There is a wisdom factor that will begin to happen on the planet that is grander than what you think is possible. For when you look at government, what do you think about? You see dysfunction, and there is an axiom that says the more people that try to do something together, the worse it gets. It all settles to the lowest common denominator. I'm telling you even those things are going to become old energy concepts. Instead, you're going to watch wisdom become the top potential.

I have no clock. I cannot tell you when. I can just tell you it is in the works, and there will be the seeds of it for you to observe soon - right now, in every single of the eight categories I showed you.

There are those who will say, "Well, Kryon, you're doing a lot more predictions than you used to." I want to tell you what's going on, dear one. I am not predicting anything. I am just telling you what's already there in the potential soup of your reality. That's what Humans are doing on this planet, and for those who believe this communication, you should breathe a sigh of relief and say, "It's about time." ….”

Putin urges new arms talks with US to avoid 'chaos'

Yahoo – AFP, Maria ANTONOVA, August 5, 2019

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that without new talks, there was a risk
of an 'uncontrolled arms race' (AFP Photo/Yuri KADOBNOV)

Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday urged the United States to begin new arms talks after the collapse of a Cold War nuclear pact between the two world powers.

Moscow and Washington tore up the Intermediate Range Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty on Friday, triggering fears of a new arms race.

"In order to avoid chaos that has no rules, limits and laws, one needs to once again weigh all possible dangerous consequences and start serious dialogue without any ambiguities," Putin said in a statement.

"We are ready for it."

Moscow has blamed Washington for unilaterally ending the 1987 treaty which was signed by US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

The agreement limited the use of conventional and nuclear missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometres (310 to 3,420 miles).

Washington and NATO accused Russia of developing the new 9M729 missile which they say violates the treaty, but Russia says its range falls short of 500 kilometres

'Risk of uncontrolled arms race'

Putin said Monday that if Russia receives information about US development of new missiles, it "will be forced to begin the full-scale development of similar missiles".

Russia "will not deploy them in relevant regions until American-made missiles are deployed there," Putin said.

Unless there are new talks about strategic security, "this scenario means restarting an uncontrolled arms race," he added.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at the weekend that he would like to deploy the new intermediate-range missiles in Asia, but denied that this would spark an arms race as the weapons are not nuclear.

"Right now, we don't have plans to build nuclear-tipped INF range weapons," he said. "So I don't see an arms race happening."

The INF treaty was considered a cornerstone of global arms control architecture, but Washington has long called it obsolete due to non-signatories like China being free to develop their own weapons.

Putin on Monday accused the US of "seriously complicating the situation in the world and creating fundamental risks for all" by pulling out of the treaty.

Washington launched a six-month withdrawal procedure for leaving the treaty in February, and Moscow followed soon after.

Any new treaty to counter the build-up of nuclear missiles would have to include China, US President Donald Trump said last week.

The other key arms deal between Russia and the US is the New START treaty which keeps the nuclear arsenals of both countries well below their Cold War peak.

The deal expires in 2021 and it is likely not to be renewed amid the current chill in US-Russian relations, experts say.

The US and Russia own more than 90 percent of global nuclear stockpiles, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, a US think tank.

Xi calls for world without nuclear weapons

Yahoo – AFP, Ben Simon, January 18, 2017

Chinese President Xi Jinping looks on during a meeting at the United Nations
European headquarters in Geneva, on January 18, 2017 (AFP Photo/DENIS
BALIBOUSE)

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a world without nuclear weapons at the UN on Wednesday and urged a multilateral system based on equality among nations large and small.

His speech at the United Nations in Geneva came at the end of a diplomatic tour that included a landmark address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, just days before Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th president of the United States.

Some experts have seen Xi's Swiss tour as a bid to capture the mantle of global leadership at a time when Washington is clouded by uncertainty with an unpredictable political novice about to take charge.

"Nuclear weapons should be completely prohibited and destroyed over time to make the world free of nuclear weapons," Xi said, according to an official translation.

China has been a nuclear power since 1964.

In an address that stretched beyond 45 minutes, Xi also sought to make the case for a global governance system that strives for a level playing field among countries where interventionist tendencies are resisted.

"We should reject dominance by just one or several countries", Xi said, adding that "major powers should respect each other's core interests."

"Big countries should treat smaller countries as equals instead of acting as a hegemon, imposing their will on others," he further said, speaking alongside the new UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.

"Sovereign equality is the most important rule", Xi continued.

He also praised UN organisations governed by the principle of one nation, one vote.

China has reacted harshly against attempts to influence what it considers its internal domestic affairs, from concerns over human rights issues in Tibet to a democracy push in Hong Kong.

Beijing has also used its veto on the UN Security Council to block intervention in some global hotspots, including notably in Syria.

Foil to Trump?

In his disarmament call and plea for sovereign equality Xi offered China as a nation "committed to building a world of lasting peace."

In Davos, Xi backed unity in the face of mounting global challenges such as resistance to globalised trade.

Some analysts saw that as a bid to contrast Trump, whose often bombastic rhetoric has at times defined international relationships in terms of winners and losers.

While he made no mention of the incoming Republican administration, Xi's message on nuclear weapons stood apart from Trump's at times contradictory remarks on American nuclear power.

In a tweet last month, Trump said "the United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes".

But this week, the real-estate mogul and former reality TV star Trump struck a different note, saying "nuclear weapons should be way down and reduced very substantially".

He also suggested he would be open to a disarmament deal with Russia in exchange for easing sanctions imposed by Washington against Moscow.

Australia warned of 'eroding' gun laws, 20 years after massacre

Yahoo – AFP, 28 April 2016

Gun Control Australia says the estimated total number of firearms in the hands of

civilians was now 3.2 million -- the same number as in 1996 (AFP Photo/David McNew)

Sydney (AFP) - Australia marked 20 years since its last mass shooting Thursday as campaigners warned its gun laws, which were severely tightened after the massacre, are being eroded.

Thirty-five people died at the historic Tasmanian colonial convict site of Port Arthur in 1996 as lone gunman Martin Bryant, armed with semi-automatic weapons, went on the rampage.

Now aged 48, he remains in jail after being sentenced to 35 life sentences without parole.

Martin Bryant, the gunman who 

massacred 35 people during a shooting

 rampage at Port Arthur, appears on 

screen during his first court hearing

on May 22, 1996 (AFP Photo)

Then-prime minister John Howard reacted swiftly by pushing for tough gun laws, including bans on certain weapons, a minimum age, licences and secure storage.

Since then there have been no massacres on such a scale, in contrast to countries such as the United States where mass shootings are common, with guns being blamed for around 10,000 homicides each year.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was to attend a memorial service to mark the anniversary at the popular tourist site, insisted the laws would not be watered down.

"John Howard ensured that we have had, and have, the toughest gun control laws in the world and we are committed to ensuring they remain just that," he told reporters in Tasmania.

"We are committed to ensuring that our national firearms agreement becomes stronger and that Australians remain safe from gun crimes, like the shocking events at Port Arthur."

But Rebecca Peters, a campaigner to reform Australia's laws after Port Arthur and the 10 other mass shootings in the decade before it, said that while the changes introduced by Howard were "a very powerful step forward", they were slipping.

"Australia was recognised as having the best gun laws in the world," she told AFP. "Twenty years later, those gun laws are being eroded, we are slipping backwards."

Gun Control Australia agreed, saying the estimated total number of firearms in the hands of civilians was now 3.2 million -- the same number as in 1996.

Walter Mikac, who lost his wife and two daughters in the 1996 Port Arthur

 massacre, pictured after a press conference on gun control in Australia on April 27, 

2016 (AFP Photo/Saeed Khan)

The organisation's chair, Sam Lee, said while people must have a gun license to possess a firearm, some owners were accumulating many weapons, while unlicensed people were also able to shoot at gun clubs.

"We have seen a watering down of gun laws... as the gun lobby groups continue to prosper and pro-gun representatives to state and federal parliaments gain power," Lee said.

Research by Philip Alpers, a University of Sydney gun control expert and founding director of GunPolicy.org, backed the concern.

"The million guns destroyed after Port Arthur have been replaced with 1,026,000 new ones. And the surge only shows upward momentum," he said in a commentary for academic journal The Conversation.

Related Article:

"The Biggest Filter" - July 18-19, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“..  War - Nobody Sees What is Coming

Let's talk about war. Let's discuss something that very few are considering. What you expect next is completely and totally out of perspective of what's actually coming, because you only have one kind of knowledge about war. Your war has advanced over history with bigger explosions, higher yields and weapons that fire faster. Nuclear, laser, sound - all are far more efficient ways to terminate life. That's how war has evolved. However, there hasn't really been anything called anti-war devices, have there?

I'm going to give you an invitation for discovery, and some are already in the postulation stage of this. Multidimensional fields change 3D reality. Period. I've told you that lurking in your future are discoveries that will help you with every aspect of your life, mainly due to the discovery of what makes basic physics do what it does at the atomic level. If you fully understand multidimensionality, you can manipulate the formula for mass and create massless objects. You can even do it with the tools you have right now.

There is physics possible that can create certain kinds of fields - listen to me - certain kinds of heretofore unseen multidimensional fields that are harmless to your biology, but will alter some attributes of 3D. These fields are designer fields, and they are isolated and specifically designed for one purpose. When in the field, conventional explosive reactions can't happen. Can you imagine putting a field within rooms of a building so that no matter what weapon is fired, whether it's a machine gun or a pistol, it simply won't work! What about targeting an airplane when it drops a bomb and it won't explode? This is pure physics. The alteration of 3D reality through multidimensional designer fields, both small and large, is coming. I know you don't believe it, but just wait. As you start to discover multidimensional physics and the ability to control it, you will discover that there is a "benevolent attitude" of this kind of physics. You can't "weaponize it" as easily as you can 3D. It is an entirely different kind of reality.

Again, I tell you that when you understand how mass is created at the atomic level, you'll learn how to create massless objects. By the way, that has another name. You call it anti-gravity, but there is no such thing. It's just the ability to finally control the formula that creates gravity with mass. You understand that this is simple physics, don't you? And it's very easy to manipulate for benevolent uses through other fields that you do know about. Just like you have learned to control certain kinds of physics that are 3D, you can also control multidimensional physics. Imagine a planet where it doesn't matter what war device you had, it wouldn't work anymore! What do you think about that? Imagine physics having the ability to shatter the molecules of a biological weapon. Do you think that would change world politics? It's happening, it's going to happen. It's in the laboratory today. You're broaching the discovery of multidimensional physics. Being able to control that which you don't think is controllable is what you are doing. It's going to make such a difference to the Human race!

You don't believe it, since your knowledge of how things work just doesn't allow for such a thing. This is your filter.  ….”

US and China consult on security, arms control

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-02-03

China's vice foreign minister Li Baodong during a APEC Senior Officials Meeting
at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, Nov. 2014. (Photo/Xinhua)

China and the United States held their seventh consultation on strategic security and multilateral arms control in Beijing on Monday, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Chinese vice foreign minister Li Baodong and US under secretary of state for arms control and international security affairs Rose Gottemoeller co-chaired the meeting.

The two sides exchanged views on international security, bilateral security cooperation and the building of a new type of major-country relations between the two countries.

They agreed to enhance dialogue, cooperation and strategic trust on a basis of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, to promote healthy growth of China-US ties and jointly safeguard world and regional peace and stability.

Related Article:

China calls for cooperation in addressing security challenges

Global arms treaty enters into force on Wednesday

Yahoo – AFP, 23 Dec 2014

A treaty laying down international rules for the $85 billion dollar global arms trade

 goes into force December 23, 2014 with campaigners vowing to make sure it is

strictly implemented (AFP Photo/Issouf Sanogo)

A treaty laying down international rules for the $85 billion dollar global arms trade goes into force on Wednesday with campaigners vowing to make sure it is strictly implemented.

The United States -- by far the world's largest arms producer and exporter -- has signed the treaty, but has yet to ratify it.

A total of 130 countries have signed the

 treaty and 60 have ratified the new Arms

Trade Treaty (AFP Photo)

Other key exporters such as France, Britain and Germany have ratified the charter and pledged to adhere to its strict criteria aimed at cutting off weapons supplies to human rights violators worldwide.

"For too long, arms and ammunition have been traded with few questions asked about whose lives they will destroy," said Anna Macdonald, director of the Control Arms coalition of non-governmental organisations.

"The new Arms Trade Treaty which enters into force this week will bring that to an end."

"It is now finally against international law to put weapons into the hands of human rights abusers and dictators," she said.

A total of 130 countries have signed the treaty and 60 have ratified it, including Israel which joined the movement just this month.

Campaigners however say much work lies ahead to implement the treaty, with a first meeting of the states parties to the treaty to be held around September next year.

Decisions will have to be made about the financing mechanisms for the pact and setting up a secretariat to oversee its implementation.

Amnesty International noted that five of

 the top 10 arms exporters -- France, 

Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain – have

 ratified the ATT, but China and Russia have

yet to sign on (AFP Photo/Luis Robayo)

Amnesty International noted that five of the top 10 arms exporters -- France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain – have ratified the ATT. China and Russia have yet to sign on.

The first major arms accord since the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the ATT covers international transfers of everything from tanks to combat aircraft to missiles, as well as small arms.

The treaty compels countries to set up national controls on arms exports. States must assess whether a weapon could be used to circumvent an international embargo, be used for genocide and war crimes or be used by terrorists and organized crime.

"If robustly implemented, this treaty has the potential to save many lives and offer much needed protection to vulnerable civilians around the world," said Macdonald.

Related Articles:

Global weapons treaty goes into force, but US yet to ratify

US arms sales down, Russia's up: SIPRI report on international arms transfers

International arms trade treaty gains momentum

As the 50th country is expected to ratify the international arms trade treaty, the treaty will finally enter into force 90 days later. Amnesty International's Rasha Abul-Rahim explains the treaty's global significance.

Deutsche Welle, 25 Sep 2014

The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is the first-ever United Nations treaty that regulates the international arms trade. It's aimed at halting the flow of weapons to countries that are known to use them to commit or facilitate serious human rights abuses.

Along with other groups, Amnesty International has been campaigning for this treaty for more than two decades.

DW: What exactly does this arms trade treaty regulate, and who will control whether arms trading will happen according to the treaty?

Rasha Abdul-Rahim: The treaty regulates a series of conventional weapons that include things like small arms and light weapons, ammunition, explosives, bombs, missiles, tanks, military vehicles, military aircraft, naval ships, et cetera. Under the terms of the treaty, the onus is on the governments to control these weapons and to assess the risk that transferring the arms, the ammunition or the components to another country could be used for serious human rights violations or violations of international humanitarian law.

The treaty asks states to establish and maintain effective national control systems to control the export, the import, the transit of arms. States are also asked to maintain a national control list which they share with other states that are party to the treaty. On the other part of the treaty, states are actually obliged to report annually on their arms exports.

Abdul-Rahim says the treaty will
be a giant leap forward

For Amnesty International, the most important provision of the treaty is the one to do with human rights. There's a prohibition that states are not allowed to transfer arms if they will be used for serious crimes, like war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the like. The second part is more of a risk assessment - the states have to conduct a risk assessment to assess whether there's a substantial risk that the arms they're transferring to another country could be used for serious human rights abuses.

When we look at the current situation in Iraq, where there's talk about supplying Kurdish fighters with weapons, how can it be ensured that such arms are not used to commit human rights violations?

Amnesty International is calling for a more preventive approach and strict safeguards to mitigate and remove the substantial risk of arms being used. So before there's any chance that military equipment is authorized, we're asking governments to use concrete, enforceable, transparent and verifiable mechanisms to make sure that the military equipment being supplied isn't likely to be misused, or diverted and then misused. That's really to prevent the people on the ground and prevent serious human rights violations from occurring.

That sounds very theoretical, given that many countries have not signed or will certainly not ratify this agreement, like for instance Syria. Won't arms and equipment continue to be sold to these countries, whether legally or illegally?

To tackle the illicit trade, we first need to control the legal and legitimate trade - most of the weapons that end up in the illegal trade start in the authorized trade. To reduce the risk of diversion for unauthorized uses, and to minimize the risk of loopholes and weaknesses being exploited by unscrupulous arms dealers, we need a global treaty like an arms trade treaty with strong human rights protections and we need that treaty to be effectively implemented.

What difference will it make for people on the ground - who are now victims of conflict - that this treaty will now come into effect this December?

If the treaty is implemented effectively, it could help stop irresponsible arms flows from fueling serious violations that we're seeing in places like Syria and Iraq. It's about making a real difference to people's lives by stopping arms from going to places where they're used for atrocities.

No one is saying the treaty is a panacea. But if it's effectively and robustly implemented, it'll be a giant leap forward in making sure there's greater protection for the hundreds of millions of people whose lives and livelihoods are affected by this.

Of course, we want more states to ratify and effectively implement the ATT, but there's already real international momentum building behind this. It's important, obviously, that the world's largest arms-exporting countries are part of the treaty. But it's also important to stress that over half of all [the world's] states have already signed the ATT, and over a quarter have ratified it in a little over a year - which is really a fast pace for such a global treaty.

So if civil society keeps pushing, the most skeptical states will join the treaty eventually. Five of the top ten arms-exporting states have already ratified the treaty - including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

What about the United States?

We're often [told], well the US will never ratify. That may be the case, because there's a huge pro-gun lobby inside the US. But, for example, in January 2014, the US issued a new policy directive on conventional arms sales, and that was the first one since the mid-90s. Basically the directive pledges not to export arms where there's a likelihood that the weapons transferred will be likely to be used for genocide or other atrocities, or will be used to violate human rights law or international humanitarian law. This is a positive development and an indication that the US could ratify in the future.

If you look at the mine ban convention that came into force in 1999 - the US had not signed it. But in June 2014, the Obama administration announced the US would no longer produce anti-personnel landmines, or acquire new ones. The US also said it was diligently pursuing other policies that would allow it to agree to the landmine treaty. This is more than 15 years after the treaty came into force. Just the other day (22.09.2014), the US pledged to destroy existing stockpiles of anti-personnel landmines outside the Korean Peninsula. So the arms trade treaty will have an effect, even if it takes a long time.

Rasha Abdul-Rahim is an expert on arms control, security, trade and human rights with Amnesty International in London.

German government pushes for 'Europeanisation' of arms industry

EurActiv, 20/08/2014

German Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy Sigmar Gabriel [The Council
of the European Union]

On Tuesday (19 August) Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's Minister of Economic Affairs, announced his intention to accelerate consolidation and Europeanisation of Germany's arms industry. EurActiv Germany reports.

Germany’s Economic Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel is concerned about the future of Germany’s arms industry within the European Union.

It does not make sense for 28 EU member states to each choose their own armaments policy, Gabriel said after a meeting with roughly 20 works council leaders from German arms manufacturers on Tuesday (19 August).

>>Read: Social Democrats pledge to curb German arms exports

At the same time, the Social Democratic Party's (SPD) chief allocated a significant share of the responsibility of maintaining Germany's defence industry to Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen.

The debate should not solely revolve around arms exports, Gabriel emphasised. An increase in spending for the repair and maintenance of military materials, which was reduced due to tight budgets, could help support the country’s arms manufacturers, he said.

The federal government shall determine which key competences should be kept in Germany and what role the Bundeswehr should play, the economic affairs minister said.

In Gabriel's view, the question is which arms projects should belong to the German army in the future. As Minister of Economic Affairs, he said he could not provide an answer to this.

Gabriel also rejected demands from the defence technology industry for a clear statement over which exports will require approval in the future and which will not. The guidelines, he said, are sufficiently clear. But according to existing rules, exports to third countries outside the EU and NATO are permitted only in certain exceptional cases.

Gabriel expressed his support for a more restrictive arms export policy in Germany. He discussed the effects of such a policy on Tuesday with works councils.

Further talks with managers from the industrial sector are expected to take place in early September.

Over the weekend, Volker Kauder, head of the centre-right faction in the Bundestag, expressed his concern regarding the resilience of Germany's arms industry.

In Kauder’s view, the issue should be tackled by moving European companies in this sector closer together, particularly at the German-French level.

"In this sense, export regulations for arms goods should also be harmonised at a European level," he recommended.

Kauder was supported by the German Green Party's co-chairman Cem Özdemir, who spoke in favour of harmonising "the requirements and restrictions" for exports of arms goods in the EU.

SPD secretary general Yasmin Fahimi defended Gabriel, with a sharp rebuttal against criticism from the centre-right alliance.

"It is ludicrous, to accuse Sigmar Gabriel of threatening Germany's security," the politician told Spiegel Online. The economic policy spokesman for the centre-right faction, Joachim Pfeiffer accused Gabriel of being "a threat to national security."

Vice Chancellor Gabriel has not approved any new shipments of weapons to Israel since 8 July.

Related Articles:

German arms industry faces winds of change - New

Uncertain outlook for German arms industry

Germany to arm Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State in Iraq


 "Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  8 - The End of War

The last one is the best. For thousands of years on this planet, Human Beings have warred with each other. If you take a look at the reasons they warred with each other, you will quickly see there aren't any good ones - land, resources, greed. Those are not reasons. That is a description of old energy. Those are not reasons. Reasons would be perhaps defense against an aggressor. But what if there is no longer the consciousness of the aggressor?

When I appeared in my partner's life more than 20 years ago, I said to him privately that the first messages we're going to give will be unbelievable. There would be laughter. We told him that Human nature and consciousness itself would change, and that the seeds of peace would be planted and there would come a time where there is no more war. Indeed, the laughter was great because humans look at history and they see patterns based on an absolute energy called Human Nature. "Impossible! There always has to be war. There always has been. Therefore, there always will be." This is you, in a box, in a black and white potential, where you can only see the black and white of what is and the black and white of what has been. You have no idea the shades of color that are there in your consciousness and the beauty of the love of God.

North Korea is on the edge of change, as we told you it might be. What did this require? The death of the old energy, and I want you to watch this take place. The advisors of the young leader are going to do their best to pull him back into an old energy. This free choice of his will be far different than his father, for he sees some color. Watch for these things. They'll take longer than you want, but it is the beginning of the beginning.

You'll see a fresh unification of South America sooner than not, for what is going to take place potentially this year in Venezuela. You'll see Iran changing. We have no clock. These are the potentials. These can change with free choice. These are not prophecies. This is a reality shift, dear ones, so number eight becomes the propensity not to war again. This is what Humans are going to want. This is what governments are going to want. There is a wisdom factor that will begin to happen on the planet that is grander than what you think is possible. For when you look at government, what do you think about? You see dysfunction, and there is an axiom that says the more people that try to do something together, the worse it gets. It all settles to the lowest common denominator. I'm telling you even those things are going to become old energy concepts. Instead, you're going to watch wisdom become the top potential.

I have no clock. I cannot tell you when. I can just tell you it is in the works, and there will be the seeds of it for you to observe soon - right now, in every single of the eight categories I showed you.

There are those who will say, "Well, Kryon, you're doing a lot more predictions than you used to." I want to tell you what's going on, dear one. I am not predicting anything. I am just telling you what's already there in the potential soup of your reality. That's what Humans are doing on this planet, and for those who believe this communication, you should breathe a sigh of relief and say, "It's about time." ….”