UN General Assembly
1992

information should be collated in a register to serve as the basis for subsequent criminal proceedings. Our experience with the regime in the former German Democratic Republic shows that the fear of such misdeeds being recorded is not without effect. Violation of human rights is one of mankind's great scourges. We should not spare ourselves the effort needed to expose, denounce and prevent them. Although the massive East-West confrontation is a thing of the past, disarmament, confidence-building and the control of arms exports remain essential preconditions for enhancing peace. After an arms race spanning decades the new era has made considerable progress in the field of disarmament as well. Yet the world is still bristling with weapons. We in Europe are the first to have begun destroying tanks. The pacification of the North must not lead to the South being armed to the hilt. The developing countries do not need more tanks and guns but more schools and hospitals. The United Nations Register of Conventional Arms must be seen as the point of departure for