A/RES/32/85 GA

50 General Assembly-Thirty-second Session 3. Urges all States to refrain from any action which would impede international talks aimed at working out an agreement or agreements to prevent the use of scientific and technological progress for the develop- ment of new types of weapons of ma~s destruction and new syf;tems of such weapons; 4. Requests the Secretary-General to transmit to the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament all documents relating to the discussion of this item by the General Assembly at its thirty-second session; 5. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-third session the item entitled "Prohibition of the development and manufacture of new types of weap- ons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons: report of the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament". B The General Assembly, 100th plenary meeting 12 December 1977 Guided by the interests of strengthening international peace and security and desiring to promote confidence among nations and the further improvement of the international situation, Restating its conviction that scientific discovery should be used for the benefit of mankind, Recognizing that new weapons might be evolved on the basis of scientific principles other than those used in the weapons named in the 1948 definition of weapons of mass destruction, 18 Bearing in mind that recent years have seen the con- clusion of a number of important agreements on the limitation of the arms race and disarmament, including some relating to the prohibition and limitation of identified weapons of mass destruction, and that nego- tiations for further agreements are continuing, Noting the discussion at the Conference of the Com- mittee on Disarmament on the question of the prohibi- tion of the development of new weapons of mass de- struction, 1. Urges States to refrain from developing new weapons of mass destruction based on new scientific principles; 2. Calls upon States to apply scientific discovery for the benefit of mankind; 3. Reaffirms the definition of weapons of mass destruction contained in the resolution of the Com- mission for Conventional Armaments of 12 August 1948,18 which defined weapons of mass destruction as atomic explosive weapons, radioactive material weap- ons, lethal chemical and biological weapons and any weapons developed in the future which might have characteristics comparable in destructive effect to those of the atomic bomb or other weapons mentioned above; 4. Welcomes the active continuation of negotiations relating to the prohibition and limitation of identified weapons of mass destruction; 5. Requests the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament, while taking into account its existing priorities, to keep under review the question of the development of new weapons of mass destruction based 18 See S/C.3/32/Rev.1 and Rev.I/Corr.I. on new scientific principles and to consider the desir- ability of formulating agreements on the prohibition of :.my specific new weapons which may be identified; 6. Requests the Conference of the Committee on Disarmament to report on its review to the General . \sscmbly at its thirty-third session. I 00th plenary meeting 12 December 1977 32;85. Reduction of military budgets The General Assembly, Recalling that, in its resolution 31/87 of 14 De- cember 1976, it requested the Secretary-General to prepare, with the assistance of an intergovernmental group of budgetary experts appointed by him, a report containing an analysis of the comments provided by States in the light of the suggestions set forth in the 1976 report of the Group of Experts on the Reduction of Military Budgets, 19 Noting with appreciation the report of the Secretary- General20 submitted to the General Assembly in re- sponse to the aforementioned resolution, Recognizing the value of the availability of a satis- factory instrument for standardized reporting on the military expenditures of Member States, particularly of the States permanent members of the Security Coun- cil as well as any other State with comparable military expenditures, Recognizing that the work set in motion by the Gen- eral Assembly on the reduction of military budgets has reached a decisive stage and that successive reports of groups of experts have moved the whole exercise to a position where practical steps for testing and refining the proposed reporting instrument could now be taken, Noting that the special session of the General As- sembly devoted to disarmament, to be held in May and June 1978, will provide an opportunity to consider the disarmament problem in a broad perspective, Noting further that at the special session several matters related to the reduction of military expenditures will be considered, Reaffirming its conviction that part of the resources thus released should be utilized for social and eco- nomic development, particularly that of the develop- ing countries, Reaffirming also its conviction of the urgent neces- sity that the States permanent members of the Secu- rity Council, as well as any other State with comparable military expenditures, carry out reductions in their military budgets, Conscious that, without an accompanying process of co-operation among such States, it will not be possible to accomplish the ultimate objectives, I. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-Gen- eral and to the Group of Budgetary Experts which as- sisted in the preparation of the report;2° 2. Requests the Secretary-General to ascertain those States which would be prepared to participate in a pilot test of the reporting instrument and to report 10 A/31/222/Rev.1 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.77.1.6). 20 A/32/ 194 and Add. I. Ill. Resolutions adopted on the reports of the First Committee 51 thereon to the General Assembly at its special session devoted to disarmament; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a background report for the special session of the Gen- eral Assembly devoted to disarmament and transmit it to all Member States not later than 1 April 1978, compiling the proposals and recommendations put for- ward by the groups of experts appointed by the Secre- tary-General and under Assembly resolutions 3463 (XXX) and 31/87, and containing information con- cerning the progress made in carrying out the task referred to in paragraph 2 above; 4. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-third session the item entitled "Reduction of military budgets". 100th plenary meeting 12 December 1977 32/86. Implementation of the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace The General Assembly, Recalling the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, contained in its resolution 2832 (XXVI) of 16 December 1971, and recalling also its resolutions 2992 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972, 3080 (XXVIII) of 6 December 1973, 3259 A (XXIX) of 9 December 1974, 3468 (XXX) of 11 December 1975 and 31/88 of 14 December 1976, Reaffirming its conviction that concrete action in furtherance of the objectives of the Declaration would be a substantial contribution to the strengthening of in- ternational peace and security, Encouraged by the support extended to the concept of zones of peace by non-aligned countries at the Fifth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non- Aligned Countries, held at Colombo from 16 to 19 August 1976,21 Recalling its rei;olution 3259 A (XXIX), in which it requested the littoral and hinterland States of the Indian Ocean to enter, as soon as possible, into con- sultations with a view to convening a conference on the Indian Ocean, Considering that the continued military presence of the great Powers in the Indian Ocean, conceived in the context of great Power rivalry, with the danger of a competitive escalation of such a military presence, makes the achievement of the objectives of the Decla- ration an even more imperative necessity, Considering also that the creation of a zone of peace in the Indian Ocean requires co-operation among the regional States to ensure conditions of peace and secu- rity within the region, as envisaged in the Declaration, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the littoral and hinterland States, Noting that talks between the Union of Soviet So- cialist Republics and the United States of America regarding their military presence in the Indian Ocean have been initiated and that the two countries have established contacts with the Ad Hoe Committee on the Indian Ocean through its Chairman, Expressing the hope that those talks between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United 21See A/31/197. States of America will contribute to the attainment of the ohjectives of the Declaration and lead to practical and effective co-operation on their part with the Ad Hoe Committee and the littoral and hinterland States, /Voting the reactions of certain great Powers and other major maritime users of the Indian Ocean to the invitation extended to them by the Ad Hoe Committee, in pursuance of paragraphs 2 and 3 of resolution 31 /88 by which the General Assembly requested the Com- mittee and the littoral and hinterland States of the Indian Ocean to continue their consultations with a view to formulating a programme of action leading to the convening of a conference on the Indian Ocean, I. Renews its invitation to the great Powers and other major maritime users of the Indian Ocean that have not so far seen their way to co-operating effec- tively with the Ad Hoe Committee on the Indian Ocean and the littoral and hinterland States of the Indian Ocean to enter with the least possible delay into con- sultations with the littoral and hinterland States of the Indian Ocean in pursuance of paragraphs 3 and 4 of General Assembly resolution 3468 (XXX); 2. Takes note of the report of the Ad Hoe Com- mittee~2 and in particular the stage reached in the Committee's deliberations in regard to the convening of a conference on the Indian Ocean; 3. Decides that, as the next step towards the con- vening of a conference on the Indian Ocean, a meeting of the littoral and hinterland States of the Indian Ocean be convened in New York at a suitable date, which other States not falling within this category, but which have participated or have expressed their willingness to participate in the work of the Ad Hoe Committee, could attend; 4. Requests the Ad Hoe Committee to make the necessary preparations for the meeting referred to in paragraph 3 above; 5. Decides to enlarge the composition of the Ad Hoe Committee by the addition of Democratic Yemen, Ethiopia, Greece, Mozambique and Oman; 6. Renews the general mandate of the Ad Hoe Committee as defined in the relevant resolutions; 7. Requests the Ad Hoe Committee to submit to the General Assembly at its thirty-third session a full report on its work; 8. Requests the Secretary-General to make the necessary provision for the meeting referred to in paragraph 3 above and to continue to render all neces- sary assistance to the Ad H oc Committee, including the preparation of summary records. * 100th plenary meeting 12 December 1977 * * As a result of the appointments set forth in paragraph 5 of tlze above resolution, the Ad Hoe Committee on the Indian Ocean is composed of the following Member States: AUSTRALIA, BANGLADESH, CHINA, DEMOCRATIC YEMEN, ETHIOPIA, GREECE, INDIA, INDONESIA, IRAN, IRAQ, JAPAN, KENYA, MADAGASCAR, MALAYSIA, MAURITIUS, MOZAMBIQUE, OMAN, PAKISTAN, SOMA- LIA, SRI LANKA, UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, YEMEN and ZAMBIA. 22 Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-second Session, Supplement No, 29 (A/32/29 and Corr.I).

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