UN arms treaty blocked by Iran, North Korea and Syria The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said: "I am deeply disappointed that the negotiations on an Arms Trade Treaty closed today without consensus. After 7 years of intensive work, the international community had never had a better chance to agree a global, legally binding Treaty that would make the world a safer place. We have come very close. It is disappointing that three countries blocked the historic agreement that lay within our reach. Mr Hague said he would continue to push for the treaty to be adopted. The UK will not rest until we have secured an effective global Arms Trade Treaty. Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International, said: "It is a good treaty. If Amnesty had been drafting it, it would have been stronger, but it has good protection on human rights, which was our golden rule. Anna Macdonald, Oxfam's expert on arms control, said the scope of the weapons covered was too narrow. It excluded military helicopters and grenades. We need a treaty that will make a difference to the lives of the people living in Congo, Mali, Syria and elsewhere who suffer each day from the impacts of armed violence. The inclusion of ammunition was a key issue in the debate. The US, which exports $4 billion worth of ammunition a year, defeated an earlier attempt at negotiations in the summer. In a compromise, the treaty called for countries to establish regulations for the export of ammunition "fired, launched or delivered" by the weapons covered by the convention. India and other countries insisted that the treaty have an opt-out for government arms transfers under defence cooperation agreements. This was the second attempt in eight months to get countries with very different interests behind an Arms Trade Treaty.