UN General Assembly
1989

In the field of disarmament, the prospect of progress is more than illusory. The Treaty on the Elimination of Inter mediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles - the INF Treaty - is an important step in a long journey which has just begun. The threat of nuclear annihilation has not been eliminated, and we are following with interest the negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union on reductions in their strategic offensive nuclear arsenals. It is essential that the process be widened to include other nuclear-weapon States as well and eventually lead to the complete elimination of these weapons of extinction. An immediate and comprehensive ban on nuclear testing meanwhile remains one of the highest priorities of disarmament, and Sri Lanka is one of over 40 States which have taken action to convene an amendment conference to convert the 1963 partial test-ban Treaty into one that is comprehensive. That would also help to enhance the credibility of the nuclear-non-proliferation regime on the eve of the Review Conference.