UNITED NATIONS, March 29: Iran, North Korea and Syria on Thursday blocked adoption of a UN treaty that would regulate the multi-billion-dollar international arms trade which required agreement by all 193 UN member states.

The three countries charged that the treaty was flawed and failed to ban weapons sales to rebel groups.

“There is no consensus for the adoption of this text,” Peter Woolcott, Australian Ambassador who presided over the meeting, said after the three countries confirmed their opposition following last-ditch efforts to save the UN-brokered accord.

Mr Woolcott suspended the UN meeting after Iran, North Korea and Syria raised their nameplates refusing to join consensus following speeches outlining their objections to the treaty.

Iran’s UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said the draft treaty had major loopholes, was “hugely susceptible to politicisation and discrimination”, and ignored the “legitimate demand’’ to prohibit the transfer of arms to those who commit aggression.

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari said he also objected to the fact that it did not prohibit weapons transfers to rebel groups.

North Korea’s delegate voiced similar complaints, suggesting it was a discriminatory treaty: “This (treaty) is not balanced.”

Pakistan expressed its reservations on the final draft of the treaty, saying it ignored a key aspect of ‘excessive

production’ that was an inseparable component of the entire chain of the international trade in conventional arms.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Masood Khan, pointed out that arms acquisition by states, motivated by security needs, could hardly be separated from their production and sale that were driven by profits and politics.

“Such a vital element was not incorporated in the text, despite support expressed by many delegations. This, in our view, was a serious omission which may impact treaty’s effectiveness over the long run”, Mr Khan said.