UN General Assembly
1993

of war or the threat of war; it is the absence of conditions that threaten the enjoyment of life and social harmony. The United Nations now has an opportunity to put fully into effect the system of security envisaged in its Charter. This system is based on the principles of the peaceful settlement of disputes and collective action in pursuit of international peace and the maintenance of global security. Equally important, the world has an opportunity to build pillars of peace by tackling sources of instability in the economic, social, humanitarian and ecological fields. The brutal war in Bosnia, the destruction of Somalia and the protracted civil wars in Angola and elsewhere confirm the futility of the use of force as a means of solving disputes. The ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) by the Governments of the United States of America and the Russian Federation and their signing of the START II Agreements in January 1993 are significant developments in disarmament. The primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament rests with those States that possess