UN General Assembly
1999

Nations peacekeeping for over 40 years in all parts of the world. Some 35,000 of our troops and 800 of our police have served with many peacekeeping operations, 39 having been martyred and several more wounded in the line of duty. It is the firm policy of Nepal not only to maintain but also to increase our contribution to United Nations peacekeeping. It is disappointing that for three years in a row the principal United Nations forum for disarmament negotiations, the Conference on Disarmament, has not been able to agree on an agenda of work. Some important arms control and disarmament measures have been adopted without reference to the Conference on Disarmament. As host to the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific, Nepal's commitment to general and complete disarmament, including total nuclear disarmament, remains undiluted. In the summer months of this year, South Asia witnessed a flare-up between two of our close neighbours. Disquieting because it broke a peace that had lasted for nearly three decades, it also exposed the myth fostered in