International conference in Yemen to limit light weapons dissemination

Sessions of an international conference to limit the deployment and misuse of small weapons started in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, with the participation of Arab and foreign experts.

One Yemeni official said that the conference will discuss problems, resulting from the dissemination of light weapons in 6 Arab states which are Lebanon, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and Yemen.

The Yemeni official said that during the deliberations of the conference, studies will be submitted on the role of non- governmental organizations and official establishments in fighting the spread and misuse of these weapons.

In a press statement, the Yemeni minister of state said that his government spent more than $30 million to buy light weapons from citizens, and this is in the context of its campaign to limit the dissemination of these weapons in the country.

Studies circulated in the conference estimated that there are more than 680 million small pieces of weapons in the world, which result in terrorist and criminal incidents, that lead to the killing of half a million of people annually.

A survey conducted by the International Studies Institute in Geneva estimated number of weapons in Yemen between 6 to 9 million, and considered what was said on the existence of more than 60 million pieces of weapons as exaggerated.

The conference is supervised by the Information And Rehabilitation Center For Human Rights. It is attended by experts and representatives of Arab organizations from Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen, Egypt and Jordan besides experts from Switzerland, Canada and England.