ABSTRACT: On May 14th, the Chamber of Deputies approved a resolution promoted by the radical party aiming to the creation of an international regime to prevent the proliferation of major conventional weapons systems, on the model of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The producer countries could offer guaranties of civilian technology transfers and economic aid to those countries that renounce sophisticated conventional armaments and relative technology, reduce their military expenses and adapt their domestic policy to the principles of democracy and respect of human rights. A major international lobby of democracy and disarmament should be opposed to the arms and war lobby: this is the challenge of the radical party.

(Il Messaggero, May 20th, 1991)

A few days ago the Italian Chamber of Deputies passed a resolution promoted by the radical party which could provide a relevant contribution to the creation of new and firm guaranties for world security. The document - passed with 350 votes in favour, 9 against and 3 abstentions - binds the government to operate in the international fora for the creation of an international regime capable of preventing the proliferation of major conventional weapons systems. The aim is to learn from the dreadful lesson of the Gulf War and avoid fighting against dictators made strong and arrogant precisely by the weapons we have sold them.

In contrast to weapons of mass extermination (nuclear, chemical and bacteriological), conventional weapons are freely traded, and exchanges are regulated only by specific national laws. Weapon producer countries apply both restrictive and permissive, when not openly promotional, export rules and practices. The obvious result is that the market develops according to a consolidated standard: the rules are established by the most ruthless exporters, whose competitors put their scruples aside and succumb to the idea that if they don't export weapons, others will.

In order to modify this praxis, the resolution suggests following the example of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is based on an explicit exchange: countries that renounce nuclear weapons receive assistance and technological transfers in exchange if they choose to make a peaceful use of nuclear energy.

This approach could be applied to transfers of major conventional weapons systems and to the technology necessary for their manufacture. Producer countries could offer guaranties of civilian technology transfers and economic aid to those countries that: a) renounce sophisticated conventional weapons systems and relative technology; b) reduce their military expenses; c) adapt their domestic policy to the principles of democracy and respect of human rights.

Clearly, we are aware of the fact that in this case the task would be far more complex. The nuclear issue is relatively circumscribed, whereas the exchange we suggest concerns a variety of technologies, and their connections with military and civilian applications. Nonetheless, the task of a parliamentary resolution does not consist in drafting a complete treaty, ready for endorsement, but in suggesting a suitable approach firstly and specifically to the Italian government. In this case the main objective is reducing, and ultimately eliminating, the military quota from North-South transfers, replacing it with peaceful and civilian technologies and goods.

During the debate the Government supported the resolution. We know that the Prime Minister, Mr. Andreotti, has already started enquiring at the United Nations and the European Community to put it into practice. We have often had the opportunity to appraise Mr. Andreotti's good intentions - for instance to stop starvation and to step up the creation of the European Union - but we must point out that often those intentions have not given good results, coming to a halt in front of predictable obstacles. In other words, the risk is that the government will follow the easiest way: diplomacy and delegation of the problem to so-called experts. As in the past, this policy will prove to be ineffective.

We suggest Prime Minister Andreotti and Minister De Michelis to make good use of this vote, of the unanimous consent of this Chamber, of the European parliament, of the major political, social and religious organizations, of the vast majority of citizens of the world, to leave the narrow path of diplomacy and to make the public opinion and the international political class aware of this problem while the impression of the Gulf War is still alive. They should act now, before the lobby of the death merchants can get to its feet again. Only then can diplomacy hope to produce something acceptable.

Regretfully, we realize our suggestion will be unheeded unless we strengthen the radical party, a transnational movement which has proven capable of raising public awareness and mobilizing the international political class itself in order to support important battles for life and the rule of law, and unless a major international lobby of democracy and peace is opposed to the lobby of weapons and war. This is the challenge of the radical party, which, as for its previous civil rights battles, represents the decisive challenge of our society: overcoming the barbarity of war and starvation, stopping the environmental destruction and urban violence without renouncing political democracy but, on the contrary, completing it and renewing it.