International Arms Trade Treaty entered into force

Almaty. December 24. Silkroadnews - Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) from December 24 will officially enter into force, Russian media reported.
The Convention is intended to establish uniform standards for transactions with conventional arms, overcame the necessary threshold of 50 ratifications by member countries on September 24. According to the document, from now until its entry into force it would take 90 days.
To date, the number of countries that have signed the ATT is 130, of which 60 presented the instruments of ratification of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Since early December, joined the Treaty of Serbia, Liechtenstein, Poland, Lithuania, the Netherlands and South Africa.
ATT was adopted by the UN General Assembly on April 3, 2013. It was voted by 154 states and opposed by Iran, North Korea and Syria. Another 23 countries, including Russia, abstained.
International treaty sets standards for transactions of conventional weapons, the annual volume of which, according to some estimates, up to $70 billion. Under the convention would fall Agreement on Trade in heavy weaponry and light weapons - from pistols to assault rifles. With respect to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons are certain international conventions. In this case, the contract will not apply to arms trafficking within countries, as well as a substitute for regulations establishing the rules for its storage.
Meanwhile, critics of the agreement say that at the moment it is a declaration rather than a real tool aimed at ensuring effective control over arms trafficking. In addition, many human rights organizations, initially advocated the adoption of a convention, It regret to say that it does not provide a mechanism of accountability "unscrupulous" arms dealers.
It is expected that the implementation of control measures ATT will appear later, during Conference of States Parties of the contract. According to the text of the ATT, the first of which should take place within one year after its entry into force.