Tougher controls of small arms urged

HUNDREDS of thousands of lives could be saved each year by combating the illegal trade in small arms and the Government has a role in bringing that about.

That was the message from Amnesty International and Oxfam Ireland yesterday as the two organisations highlighted a major UN conference on the problem of the global trade in small arms and light weapons.

As part of the global Control Arms campaign, representatives from Amnesty and Oxfam displayed a 20-metre banner containing hundreds of photographs of faces outside the Department of Foreign Affairs on St Stephen’s Green yesterday morning.