UN General Assembly
1989

Prospects for substantial and meaningful disarmament have also been boosted significantly by the declared willingness of the United States and the Soviet Union to cease production, and do away with their stockpiles, of chemical weapons. We welcome, in this context, the proposals made by President Bush to this Assembly only a week ago and the positive Soviet response. The reduction of the massive arsenals of nuclear weapons is no less a test case for improvements in East-West relations than are negotiations on conventional weaponry and confidence-building in Europe. If the past provides us with any guidance, an era of co-operation is not likely to be realized if the competition in nuclear weapons cannot be managed.