New York - A UN General Assembly committee adopted Friday a draft arms trade treaty, the first step in efforts to control the sale of weapons around the world worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year, a British diplomat said.

The assembly's political committee, known as the First Committee, adopted 145-2 the draft treaty, which would go through more rounds of talks before a final vote by the 
192-nation assembly that would make it a binding treaty. The draft had been under negotiations for three years.

The United States and Zimbabwe voted against the measure, British Ambassador John Sawers called the opposition a "curious combination."

Many governments and non-governmental organizations have called for a global treaty to monitor the exports and imports of weapons. The illicit trade of weapons has fueled civil wars in many continents in the past decades.

Sawers said he hopes the next US administration would reverse course and support the treaty.

"The US is a major arms producer and exporter, as are the United Kingdom and France and other countries," Sawers told reporters. "But we see advantages for arms exporting countries in having a responsible framework (to conduct their businesses)." (dpa)