22 U.S.C. § 2551: Congressional statement of purpose

An ultimate goal of the United States is a world which is free from the scourge of war and the dangers and burdens of armaments; in which the use of force has been subordinated to the rule of law; and in which international adjustments to a changing world are achieved peacefully. It is the purpose of this chapter to provide impetus toward this goal by addressing the problem of reduction and control of armaments looking toward ultimate world disarmament. The Secretary of State must have the capacity to provide the essential scientific, economic, political, military, psychological, and technological information upon which realistic arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament policy must be based. The Secretary shall have the authority, under the direction of the President, to carry out the following primary functions: (1) The preparation for and management of United States participation in international negotiations and implementation fora in the arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament field. (2) The conduct, support, and coordination of research for arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament policy formulation. (3) The preparation for, operation of, or direction of, United States participation in such control systems as may become part of United States arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament activities. (4) The dissemination and coordination of public information concerning arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament. “This subtitle may be cited as the ‘International Arms Sales Code of Conduct Act of 1999’. The President shall attempt to achieve the foreign policy goal of an international arms sales code of conduct. The President shall take the necessary steps to begin negotiations within appropriate international fora not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [ Nov. 29, 1999 ]. The purpose of these negotiations shall be to establish an international regime to promote global transparency with respect to arms transfers, including participation by countries in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, and to limit, restrict, or prohibit arms transfers to countries that do not observe certain fundamental values of human liberty, peace, and international stability. was chosen by and permits free and fair elections; promotes civilian control of the military and security forces and has civilian institutions controlling the policy, operation, and spending of all law enforcement and security institutions, as well as the armed forces; promotes the rule of law and provides its nationals the same rights that they would be afforded under the United States Constitution if they were United States citizens; and promotes the strengthening of political, legislative, and civil institutions of democracy, as well as autonomous institutions to monitor the conduct of public officials and to combat corruption. extrajudicial or arbitrary executions; disappearances; torture or severe mistreatment; prolonged arbitrary imprisonment; systematic official discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, or political affiliation; and grave breaches of international laws of war or equivalent violations of the laws of war in internal armed conflicts; vigorously investigates, disciplines, and prosecutes those responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights; permits access on a regular basis to political prisoners by international humanitarian organizations; promotes the independence of the judiciary and other official bodies that oversee the protection of human rights; does not impede the free functioning of domestic and international human rights organizations; and provides access on a regular basis to humanitarian organizations in situations of conflict or famine. The government of the country is not engaged in acts of armed aggression in violation of international law. The government of the country does not provide support for international terrorism. The government of the country does not contribute to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The country is not located in a region in which arms transfers would exacerbate regional arms races or international tensions that present a danger to international peace and stability. Not later than 6 months after the commencement of the negotiations under subsection (a), and not later than the end of every 6-month period thereafter until an agreement described in subsection (a) is concluded, the President shall report to the Committee on International Relations [now Committee on Foreign Affairs] of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate on the progress made during these negotiations. In the report required in sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2151n(b) and 2304(b)), the Secretary of State shall describe the extent to which the practices of each country evaluated meet the criteria in paragraphs (1)(A) and (2) of subsection (a).” “This title may be cited as the ‘Soviet Nuclear Threat Reduction Act of 1991’.” is a cause for grave concern for the United States and other nations in that in particular areas of the world it increases the danger of potential violence among nations, and diverts scarce world resources from more peaceful uses; and could be controlled progressively through negotiations and agreements among supplier and recipient nations. agreeing to workable limitations on conventional arms transfers; and establishing a mechanism through which such limitations could be effectively monitored. ”