UN General Assembly
1986

Like the great majority of States, the German Democratic Republic is of the view that verification must not serve as a pretext for blocking concrete disarmament steps. It is not verification of the arms build-up that is needed, however; verification must be a constituent part of all arms limitation and disarmament. With each passing day, the peoples are realizing more clearly from experience direct link between super-armament and underdevelopment and, consequently, between disarmament and social progress. The magnitude of the material and intellectual resources squandered for armament purposes is indeed unparalleled. If that trend were to be checked, immense sums would become available for combating underdevelopment, hunger and poverty. The German Democratic Republic deplores the fact that the International Conference on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development, which was to have addressed those vital issues, was not convened as planned.