security of states during the stockpile destruction period must be addressed. Finally, important differences remain on a number of issues such as treaty implementing provisions, allocation of costs, and the nature and extent of assistance that might be provided nations that have been attacked or are threatened by chemical weapons. CD participants began a series of trial inspections in the chemical industry. The results of three inspections organized by nations individually in their own industries has provided valuable insight into defining the regime for monitoring the civilian industry under a chemical weapons convention.

During 1989 chemical weapons negotiations were also the focus of U.S.Soviet bilateral discussions designed to facilitate the multilateral negotiation. The chemical weapons negotiations were discussed at the U.S.-Soviet Ministerial in Wyoming in September, which resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on chemical weapons data exchange and visits and the Malta Summit meeting. In addition, pursuant to a 1985 summit agreement to accelerate chemical weapons negotiations, the United States and Soviet Union held bilateral meetings on chemical weapons treaty issues on the margins of the CD. Outside the CD, U.S.-Soviet bilateral sessions were held to discuss implementation of the MOU and ways to prevent the dangerous proliferation of chemical weapons. Moreover, the United States held informal talks with Western countries to discuss ways to optimize export controls on specific chemicals related to the manufacture of chemical weapons.

Comprehensive Program of Disarmament

The Ad Hoc Committee of the Comprehensive Program of Disarmament (CPD) met again during 1989 to discuss "the achievement of general and complete disarmament under effective international control." Despite intensive efforts and modest progress, the Committee was unable to resolve the numerous outstanding issues and recommended to the 44th General Assembly that the CPD exercise be discontinued until a more propitious time in the future.

Outer Space Arms Control

The Ad Hoc Committee on the "Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space" was reestablished in 1989, with a non-negotiating mandate like that adopted in 1988. The Ad Hoc Committee adopted the following program of work for the 1989 session:

(1) Examination and identification of issues relevant to the prevention of an arms race in outer space;

(2) Existing proposals and future initiatives on the prevention of an arms race in outer space;

(3) Existing agreements relevant to the prevention of an arms race in outer space.

There is recognition in the Ad Hoc Committee of the importance of preventing an arms race in outer space and readiness to contribute to that objective. However, thus far, neither the United States nor the CD has been able to identify any outer space arms control issues appropriate for multilateral negotiations.

OTHER ISSUES

In addition to the work of the ad hoc committees, the Conference also addressed a number of other issues, including the following:

Nuclear Test Ban

As is customary, the agenda item on a "Nuclear Test Ban" was considered in plenary. In addition, efforts were made to find a basis to continue work on this item in an ad hoc committee of the Conference. While no delegation opposed the reestablishment of such a body, which has not met since 1983, there was no agreement on what its mandate should be; thus a committee was not established in 1989. There were several proposals on the table in this regard. The Western initiative, first put forward in 1984 by a number of Western states (CD/521), including the United States, proposed that such a committee be established to resume its substantive examination of specific issues relating to a nuclear test ban, including the issues of scope, verification and compliance, was still on the table. In 1985 the United States also joined other Western states in proposing a detailed program of work for a committee (CD/621), under the mandate proposed in CD/521, also still on the table. Proposals made by the G-21 group (CD/829) called for the multilateral negotiation of a nuclear test ban.

In 1988, Czechoslovakia, while serving as President of the CD, offered a proposal for CD consideration that could serve as the basis for developing a compromise mandate. The 1989 session ended without a clear indication that CD/863 was acceptable to the G-21 as a basis for establishing a compromise mandate; the West indicated that it was.

Prevention of Nuclear War, Including All Related Matters

This subject was first added to the CD agenda in 1983, as part of the nuclear disarmament agenda item. In 1984 the CD decided to accord it a separate place on the agenda. Over the last year, a wide range of views have been expressed in plenary consideration of this issue to determine how the Conference might best further treat it. The West continued to emphasize the need for preventing all wars (not just nuclear wars). Since

there continues to be no agreement on establishing an ad hoc group, discussion on the issue is restricted to plenary discussions only.

Cessation of the Nuclear Arms Race and Nuclear Disarmament

This item was again discussed in both sessions of the CD in 1989. At the 523rd plenary meeting on August 3, after receiving a request from the Group-21, the President put before the Conference for a decision a proposal of that group for a draft mandate for the establishment of an ad hoc committee on the cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament. The West noted that they attached importance to this agenda item but felt that the most appropriate instrument for dealing with it now was in a plenary debate; no agreement was reached on establishing an ad hoc committee. The United States and the U.S.S.R. pointed to tangible progress in bilateral arms reduction's negotiations and emphasized the importance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty for international security and stability.

Membership

In 1983 the Conference accepted in principle a limited expansion in its membership, not exceeding four states. A number of countries have submitted requests for membership including the following in order of request: Norway, Finland, Austria, Turkey, Senegal, Bangladesh, Spain, Viet Nam, Ireland, Tunisia, Ecuador, Cameroon, Greece, Zimbabwe and New Zealand. While the West has reached agreement on its candidate for membership (Norway), other groups have not reached consensus on candidates. Consultations on expanding the CD were again held in 1989 but there was no consensus on the proposed candidates.

General Assembly Consideration

Although the UN Charter adopted in 1945 gave no immediate priority to disarmament, it provides that the "General Assembly may consider the general principles of cooperation in the maintenance of international peace and security, including the principles governing disarmament and the regulation of armaments."

The advent of nuclear weapons came only weeks after the signing of the UN Charter, and provided immediate impetus to concepts of arms limitation and disarmament. In fact, the first resolution of the first meeting of the General Assembly (January 24, 1946) was entitled, "The Establishment of a Commission to Deal with the Problems Raised by the Discovery of Atomic Energy," and called upon the Commission to make specific proposals for "the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and of all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction."

Since the early years of the United Nations, great-power disagreement has hampered efforts to promote arms control and disarmament within the UN

system. However, the United Nations has undertaken continuing efforts to develop organizational machinery that can effectively address disarmament issues.

FIRST COMMITTEE DISARMAMENT ISSUES

The First Committee of the General Assembly convened from October 16 and continued its consideration of arms control and disarmament items until November 17. It completed its other work (Antarctica, international security items) on November 30. The First Committee holds general debates, considers specific aspects of arms control issues on its agenda, adopts resolutions on these issues and forwards them to the General Assembly for further action.

During its 1989 session, the Committee adopted a total of 61 resolutions (three others were tabled but not brought to a vote) and four decisions, mostly dealing with disarmament. These resolutions addressed nuclear weapons issues such as the nuclear freeze, non-first use of nuclear weapons, prevention of nuclear war and nuclear test ban, as well as such subjects as nuclear weapons testing, chemical and other weapons of mass destruction, weapons transfers and conventional disarmament.

More specifically, the First Committee adopted three resolutions regarding followup actions relating to earlier disarmament studies. Resolution 44/116 F, introduced by Denmark, requested the UN Disarmament Commission to continue its consideration of conventional disarmament (which had been the subject of an earlier report) at its 1990 session; it was adopted without a vote. Another resolution, introduced by Sweden, recalled the study on the naval arms race and requested the Disarmament Commission to continue its consideration of this subject at its 1990 session. This resolution was adopted in plenary by a vote of 154 to 1 (U.S.), with no abstentions. (Resolution 44/116 M.) The United States voted against this resolution because, among other problems, we reject the notion that naval armaments can be examined independently without reference to land-based armaments as well. Resolution 44/116 N on international arms transfers, introduced by Colombia, was a followup to resolution 43/75 I which, inter alia, called for a UN study on this subject. The 1989 resolution invited states which had not yet done so to make their views and proposals on the subject available to the Secretary General. It also looked forward to the submission of the study to the 46th General Assembly. The United States supported the resolution, which was approved by the plenary by a vote of 143 (U.S.) to 0, with 12 abstentions.

Several resolutions were adopted by the First Committee that were intended to encourage international disarmament measures by focusing attention on the general questions involved, or on the institutional mechanisms available to the world community. These resolutions addressed such issues as: the observance of Disarmament Week, adopted without a vote (Resolution 44/119 G); a review of the role of the United Nations in

disarmament, adopted without a vote (Resolution 44/116 Q); and international cooperation for disarmament, adopted by the plenary without a vote. (Decision 44/432 C.) With regard to the role of the United Nations in disarmament, in an explanation of vote, the United States recalled that, while joining consensus on the resolution, it did not accept the notion contained in the resolution that the United Nations has a central role in the field of disarmament.

Some resolutions dealt with restrictions on the use of certain types of weapons. Resolution 44/115 C dealt with the outcome of and followup activities related to the Second Review Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, and was adopted without a vote.

The First Committee approved several hortatory resolutions emphasizing the obligation of member states to take concrete measures toward disarmament. Resolution 44/116 C, introduced by China, encouraged all states, including the "member states of the two major military alliances," to take appropriate steps to promote progress in conventional disarmament; it was adopted without a vote.

The United States opposed a resolution drafted by Peru on the subject "Conventional disarmament on a regional scale." Among other things, it asserted that resources consumed by conventional weapons could be used for social and economic development, urged nuclear-weapon and militarilysignificant states to intensify their efforts to negotiate regional and subregional arms limitation measures, and appealed to states to refrain from any actions that would interfere with the objectives of regional disarmament. This resolution, 44/116 S, was adopted by the General Assembly by a vote of 119 to 1 (U.S.), with 32 abstentions. In an explanation of vote, the U.S. Delegate recalled U.S. support for the principle of conventional disarmament on a regional scale, but stressed that the United States was forced to vote against the resolution because it unduly emphasized nuclear disarmament over conventional weapons, despite the fact that that subject was not even mentioned in its title.

Resolution 44/116 G, introduced by Czechoslovakia, deemed it important that member states make every effort to facilitate the implementation of General Assembly resolutions in the field of disarmament. It was adopted by the plenary by a vote of 129 to 1 (U.S.), with 25 abstentions. The United States explained that it voted against this resolution, as it has in the past, on the grounds that General Assembly resolutions on disarmament are strictly recommendations and there is no basis in the Charter for according them any binding status.

In the area of transparency, a resolution on objective information on military matters, cosponsored by the United States and the United Kingdom and