India, Israel reject claims of coordinated UN vote

New Delhi: India voted against a Pakistan-sponsored UN resolution on conventional arms control at regional and sub-regional levels, in line with its long-held stance that arms control is a global issue and security concerns extend beyond sub-regional boundaries, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

While India and Israel both opposed the resolution this week, the people firmly dismissed any impression of diplomatic coordination between the two nations.

Describing the shared vote as a joint stance shows a "serious lack of nuanced understanding", they noted.

The notion of a conventional balance in South Asia is not acceptable to New Delhi, they said while referring to the Disarmament Commission's guidelines on regional disarmament (1993), conventional arms control (1999) and conventional confidence-building measures (2017).

The resolution, jointly initiated by Pakistan and Belarus, titled 'General and complete disarmament: Conventional arms control at the regional and subregional levels', was approved by the UN General Assembly's First Committee on Monday with 180 votes in favour, two against and no abstentions.

The people cited above also said that India's position on the resolution was driven by national considerations and concerns and New Delhi did not coordinate with anyone.

"India's vote on the resolution "Conventional arms control at regional and sub-regional levels", in the First Committee of the UNGA for which Pakistan is the lead sponsor, has remained the same for nearly last three decades," said one of the people.

"We believe that conventional arms control is a global issue, and that the security concerns of States do not stop at regional or sub-regional boundaries."

India has been explaining this position in the First Committee every year, and it did so again this year, the person said.

The resolution does not have unanimous support, said a second person, noting India is not alone in its reservations.

On operative paragraph-two, the central operative paragraph of the text, this year the United States voted against it, he said.

Russia and most European Union members abstained, as did nearly 50 other States, the person said, adding many States evidently share the view that this request does not command broad support.

Any change in vote on the resolution by any other State is driven by its own national considerations and concerns, the person said, apparently referring to India and Israel both voting against the resolution.

"These were not coordinated with, or prompted by us. Reading other States' voting on the resolution as a joint stance or coordination is a manifestation of serious lack of nuanced understanding," said another person.

"We urge that the past voting records on the resolution should be studied closely before establishing a view," he said.

The resolution notes that conventional arms control needs to be pursued primarily in regional and subregional contexts since most threats to peace and security in the post-Cold War era arise mainly among states located in the same region or subregion.

It also expresses the desire to promote agreements aimed at strengthening regional peace and security "at the lowest possible level of armaments and military forces."