UN General Assembly
1973

49. Coming to Europe, we again have cause for hope. As might be guessed, I am alluding mainly to the Helsinki Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. This Conference, which was held with the' participation of 32 European countries plus the United States and Canada, has already completed its first stage successfully, and its second one is on the way. Moreover, preparatory work for the conference on mutual force reductions in Central Europe is now completed, and the conference itself is expected to start at its appointed time and place. Although it is too soon to express a firm opinion, we can already say that it will constitute a landmark in the examination of security problems. 50. In this context, I wish to underline the fact that security in the world in general, and in Europe in particular, is based on a very delicate balance. Therefore, in this process all our efforts should converge towards strengthening and stabilizing security, and not diminishing it for one or another country or group of countries.