Britain and Russia exempt from UN measures on recruiting child soldiers

The UN Security Council called for tough measures to stop the recruitment of child soldiers, but only after Britain and Russia succeeded in having Northern Ireland and Chechnya struck off the list of war zones.

Both countries, which wield veto power in the Security Council, maintained that their troubles were strictly internal and on Thursday succeeded in getting the resolution adopted unanimously without listing them among the "armed conflicts" of concern.

The resolution calls for armed groups in six civil wars -- Afghanistan, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Congo, Liberia and Somalia -- to prepare specific plans within three months in cooperation with UN experts to halt the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

The Security Council said it would consider imposing measures such as an arms embargo or ban on military assistance to armed groups that refuse to cooperate.

The resolution is based on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report last November which said children were being recruited and used as soldiers "on a massive scale" around the world, with groups in 15 conflicts handing weapons to youngsters.

In addition to the six civil wars, it had listed nine other "armed conflicts" where parties recruit or use children -- Chechnya, Colombia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Uganda.

To satisfy Britain, a correction to Annan's report was issued on Feb. 20 stating that the situation in Northern Ireland "is not an armed conflict within the meaning of the Geneva Conventions."

The same correction was issued on Monday at Russia's insistence.

Thursday's resolution makes no general call for an end to the use of child soldiers. The US military allows enlistment at age 17.