U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said the Obama administration would sign a controversial U.N. treaty on arms regulation.
He added that the treaty will be signed despite bipartisan resistance in Congress from members concerned it could lead to new gun control measures in the U.S.
Kerry, releasing a written statement as the U.N. treaty opened for signature on Monday, said the U.S. 'welcomes' the next phase for the treaty, which the U.N. General Assembly approved on April 2, the Washington Post reports.
According to the report, he said that they were looking forward to signing the treaty as soon as the process of confirming the official translations is completed satisfactorily.
He called the treaty an 'important contribution to efforts to stem the illicit trade in conventional weapons, which fuels conflict, empowers violent extremists, and contributes to violations of human rights'.
The treaty would require countries that ratify it to establish national regulations to control the transfer of conventional arms and components and to regulate arms brokers, but it will not explicitly control the domestic use of weapons in any country, the report said.
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Last week, 130 members of Congress signed a letter to Obama and Kerry urging them to reject the measure for various reasons.
According to the report, the treaty covers battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and missile launchers, and small arms and light weapons.
The treaty also prohibits the export of conventional arms if they could be used in attacks on civilians or civilian buildings such as schools and hospitals, the report added.
