The campaign, which in the last week has seen 13 more governments support the international Arms Trade Treaty at a U.N. arms-control meeting in New York, aims in particular at preventing weapons being sold to countries in conflict where there are grave violations of human rights.
Among the latest countries to support the proposal are Colombia, Turkey, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain. These countries have added their support to that expressed earlier by Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, Costa Rica, Cambodia, Finland and Iceland, Vatican Radio reported today.
The latest African countries to support the proposal are Ghana, Guinea, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Benin and Uganda.
The campaign is supported by large and small nongovernmental organizations, including Amnesty International, Oxfam, and the International Action Network on Small Arms.
The organizers said that for a treaty on arms control it is important to obtain the support of the Group of Eight industrial countries.
Among the G8 nations supporting the initiative are Great Britain, France and Germany.
