DW: Germany backs global arms trade treaty, China and Russia abstain

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Germany backs global arms trade treaty, China and Russia abstain

Germany, along with other key United Nations members, has backed talks on a global treaty to regulate the global trade of weapons. Two major arms suppliers, Russia and China, refused to support the measure.The United Nations resolution calls for talks aimed at agreeing a treaty to police the world's 37-billion-euro ($55-billion) arms trade.US President Barack Obama decided to back the treaty providing that the final round of talks, set for 2012, were run on the basis of consensus, granting countries veto powers. Germany and several other states, were angered by that demand, arguing it would lead to a watered-down treaty. Diplomats said Britain had persuaded Berlin that US involvement would strengthen the legitimacy of any treaty, as Washington controls around two-thirds of the global arms trade.