B4 Directorate of International
Economic Organizations and Monetary Affairs

The 4^th meeting of the Plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls of Sensitive technology and arms transfers took place in Vienna from 1-4 December 1998. The 33 member states - most of them NATO members and founding members of the Paris- based for 40 years, Cocom - took steps towards more transparency and information sharing on the transactions between members states and non-member client countries, within the frame of non-proliferation principles.

Avoiding dangerous accumulation of military potential in sensitive regions around the world is the basic objective of the W.A. mechanism, whose members military production represents 90% of the world armaments market.

Strengthening the arms pillar of the Arrangement was the core of the discussions since the Seven Categories of the U.N Arms Registry do not cover successfully modern smart arms. Russia’ s insistence to avoid expanding the U.N Registry provoked research in the field of establishing criteria of “sensitivity of regions” aiming at maintaing regional peace and stability.

Entry to the W.A. is secured by non discriminatory consensus. For the near future countries like China, S. Africa, Brazil, Belarus and Kazakstan have inscribed their candidacy. A perspective of great interest and challenge for Greece, who is scheduled to chair the General Working Group of the Arrangement in the year 2001. A period which - as was felt - members should try to coordinate more successfully National policies and reinforce transparency of this very sensitive commerce.