UN General Assembly
1968

18. In the field of nuclear disarmament, the year witnessed the memorable resolution [2373 (XXII)] commending the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by 95 votes in favour at the resumed session of the twenty-second General Assembly. The Treaty has © now been signed by more than eighty countries. The Maldive Islands is proud to have supported the resolution commending the Treaty and to have signed it since then. While the Treaty is far from being perfect, it is a major step towards nuclear disarmament. However, much remains to be accomplished. We were therefore encouraged by the report appearing in the Washington Post on 2 July that “agreement had been reached to begin, in the nearest future, discussions on the limitations of both offensive and defensive nuclear weapons” and on the “urgent measures for stopping the arms race” — the remarks being attributed to President Johnson and Premier Kosygin respectively. We were further heartened during this debate to hear from the representatives of the United States and the Soviet Union of their readiness to work on these lines, despite the repercussions of recent developments in Eastern Europe on East-West relations. It is our fervent hope and prayer that concrete measures will be taken without undue delay. Too much is at stake for any postponement.