Strasbourg, 16/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - By adopting a resolution on Thursday on light weapons, the European Parliament urged the Presidency of the EU Council to set up a "contact group bringing together several States, responsible for "preparing the ground for negotiations over an international, legally binding instrument aimed at regulating the activities of arms brokers". Negotiations over such an instrument should be concluded before the Conference on Light Weapons scheduled for 2006, says the EP, recalling that the EU Council has adopted a common position on the Union's contribution to the fight against the destabilising dissemination of light and small calibre weapons, and that stresses the urgency, following the 11 September attacks, of adopting more effective legislation in the matter so as to block the sources of supply to terrorist organisations and closely monitor the transfer of these weapons to governments that violate human rights and to unstable regions or regions in conflict. In addition, Parliament calls on EU Member States and associate countries to prosecute those who do not respect the embargo decreed on the matter by the UN, the EU or at other levels (regional or national) and to place these violations among crimes giving rise to extradition.