MOSCOW. June 4 (Interfax) - Moscow is yet to decide about signing the International Arms Trade Treaty, Russian Foreign Ministry Security and Disarmament Department Director Mikhail Ulyanov told Interfax on Monday.
"Russia will not sign the treaty at today's ceremony. We have made an official announcement that we will weigh the cons and pros and make a decision whether to sign this treaty or not on the basis of our analysis," he said.
"We believe this treaty can be of use, especially as countries lacking a reliable system of control over arms exports and imports create this system in line with the treaty's requirements," the diplomat said.
At the same time, "standards set by the treaty are much lower than Russian. We think this is a rather weak document," Ulyanov stressed.
"Provisions, which may obstruct re-routing of weaponry from legal circulation into illegal, are insufficiently clear," he said.
Ulyanov noted that the United States was not signing the International Arms Trade Treaty so far and kept analyzing that document. "Although neither Russia nor the United States are signing this treaty for now, our representatives are likely to attend the ceremony," the diplomat said.
The International Arms Trade Treaty signing ceremony started at 10:30 a.m. local time (6:30 p.m. Moscow time). The treaty will enter into force if it is ratified by 50 UN member states.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in an interview with Interfax in mid-May that the treaty would help keep a file on field commanders, pirates, breakers of human rights, members of organized criminal groups, terrorists and arms smugglers.
He said the treaty would obstruct possession of armaments by outlaws.
In the opinion of Ban, the treaty also has other advantages. He expects the treaty to strengthen the rule of law by fostering a system of international norms deterring contraband, abuse and illegal proliferation of armaments and ammunition.
He thinks the treaty will be a contribution to the existent international instruments, from the Program of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects to the UN Register of Conventional Arms.
The International Arms Trade Treaty was adopted at the UN General Assembly on April 2 by 154 states. Iran, North Korea and Syria voted against it. Twenty-three countries, among them Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Venezuela, China and Cuba, abstained.
The resolution urged everyone to consider the possibility of signing the treaty within the shortest possible time in line with national constitutional procedures.