New York, Sha'ban 14, 1433, Jul 4, 2012, SPA - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Member States to work towards a treaty to regulate Arms trade, stressing that a set of rules on this matter is long overdue. "We have made some progress on weapons of mass destruction issues over the years, but the international community has not kept pace on conventional arms," Ban told Member States at the opening of the first UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, adding "Nuclear issues capture headlines, but conventional arms are killing people everyday." "An agreed set of standards for arms exports along with strict national legislation can help begin to change all of that," Ban told Conference attendees. "Our common goal is clear: a robust and legally binding Arms Trade Treaty that will have a real impact on the lives of those millions of people suffering from the consequences of armed conflict, repression and armed violence. It is ambitious but it is achievable," Ban was quoted as saying by Qatar News Agency (QNA). --SPA 13:58 LOCAL TIME 10:58 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1013152