A/RES/39/52 GA
Cessation of all test explosions of nuclear weapons : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
39
Session
122
Yes
3
No
23
Abstentions
| Draft symbol | A/RES/39/52 |
|---|---|
| Adopted symbol | A/RES/39/52 |
| Category | POLITICAL AND LEGAL QUESTIONS |
| Voeten Topics ⓘ | |
| P5 Positions |
|
| UN Document | A/RES/39/52 ↗ |
Vote Recorded Vote — A/39/PV.97
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Afghanistan
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Algeria
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Angola
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Antigua and Barbuda
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Argentina
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Austria
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Bahrain
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Bangladesh
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Barbados
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Belize
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Benin
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Bhutan
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Plurinational State of Bolivia
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Botswana
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Brunei Darussalam
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Bulgaria
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Burkina Faso
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Burundi
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Belarus
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Cameroon
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Cabo Verde
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Central African Republic
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Chad
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Chile
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Colombia
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Comoros
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Congo
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Costa Rica
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Cuba
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Cyprus
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Czechoslovakia
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Democratic Yemen
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Djibouti
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Dominican Republic
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Ecuador
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Egypt
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El Salvador
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Equatorial Guinea
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Ethiopia
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Fiji
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Finland
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Gabon
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German Democratic Republic
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Ghana
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Greece
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Guatemala
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Guinea
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Guinea-Bissau
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Guyana
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Honduras
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Hungary
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Indonesia
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Islamic Republic of Iran
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Iraq
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Ireland
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Côte d'Ivoire
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Jamaica
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Jordan
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Kenya
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Kuwait
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Lao People's Democratic Republic
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Lebanon
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Lesotho
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Liberia
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Libya
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Madagascar
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Malawi
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Malaysia
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Maldives
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Mali
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Malta
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Mauritania
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Mauritius
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Mexico
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Mongolia
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Morocco
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Mozambique
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Nepal
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Nicaragua
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Niger
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Nigeria
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Oman
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Pakistan
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Panama
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Papua New Guinea
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Paraguay
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Peru
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Philippines
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Poland
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Qatar
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Romania
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Rwanda
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Sao Tome and Principe
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Saudi Arabia
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Senegal
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Seychelles
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Sierra Leone
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Singapore
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Somalia
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Sri Lanka
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Sudan
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Suriname
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Sweden
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Syrian Arab Republic
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Thailand
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Togo
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Trinidad and Tobago
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Tunisia
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Uganda
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Ukraine
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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
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United Arab Emirates
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United Republic of Tanzania
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Uruguay
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Vanuatu
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Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
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Viet Nam
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Yemen
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Yugoslavia
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Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Zambia
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Zimbabwe
Full text of resolution
III. Resolutions adopted on the reports of the First Committee
57
Resolution
No.
Date of adopt/On
39/159
Inadmissibility of the policy of State terrorism and any actions by States aimed at
undermining the socio-political system in other sovereign States (A/391761) . .
143
I 7 December 1984
I 7 December 1984
99
99
39/160
Relationship between disarmament and development (A/391745).
55
39/51.
Implementation of General Assembly resolu
tion 38/61 concerning the signature and rati
fication of Additional Protocol I of the Treaty
for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in
Latin America (Treaty of Tlatelolco)
The General Assembly.
Recalling its resolutions 2286 (XXII) of S December
1967, 3262 (XXIX) of 9 December 1974, 3473 (XXX) of
11 December 1975, 32/76 of 12 December I 977, S-10/2 of
30 June 1978, 33/58 of 14 December 1978, 34/71 of 11
December 1979, 35/143 of 12 December 1980, 36/83 of9
December 1981, 37/71 of9 December 1982 and 38/61 of
15 December 1983 concerning the signature and ratifica
tion of Additional Protocol I of the Treaty for the Prohibi
tion of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America (Treaty of
Tlatelolco ), 2
Taking into account that within the zone of application
of that Treaty, to which twenty-three sovereign States are
already parties, there are some territories which, in spite of
not being sovereign political entities, are nevertheless in a
position to receive the benefits deriving from the Treaty
through its Additional Protocol I, to which the four States
that de Jure or de facto are internationally responsible for
those territories may become parties,
Recalling that three of those States - the United King
dom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Kingdom
of the Netherlands and the United States of America -
became parties to Additional Protocol I in 1969, I 971 and
1981, respectively,
l. Deplores that the signature of Additional Protocol I
by France, which took place on 2 March 1979, has not yet
been followed by the corresponding ratification, notwith
standing the time already elapsed and the pressing invita
tions which the General Assembly has addressed to it;
2. Once more urges France not to delay any further
such ratification, which has been requested so many times
and which appears all the more advisable, since France is
the only one of the four States to which the Protocol is
open that is not yet party to it;
3. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its
fortieth session an item entitled "Implementation of Gen
eral Assembly resolution 39/5 l concerning the signature
and ratification of Additional Protocol I of the Treaty for
the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America
(Treaty of Tlatelolco)".
97th plenary meeting
12 December 1984
39/52.
Cessation of all test explosions of nuclear
weapons
The General Assembly,
Bearing in mind that the complete cessation of nuclear
weapon tests, which has been examined for more than
twenty-five years and on which the General Assembly has
adopted nearly fifty resolutions, is a basic objective of the
2 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 634, No. 9068, p. 326.
3 Ibid., vol. 480, No. 6964, p. 43.
United Nations in the sphere of disarmament, to the
attainment of which it has repeatedly assigned the highest
priority,
Stressing that on seven different occasions it has con
demned such tests in the strongest terms and that, since
1974, it has stated its conviction that the continuance of
nuclear-weapon testing will intensify the arms race, thus
increasing the danger of nuclear war,
Convinced that the existing means of verification are
adequate to ensure compliance with a nuclear-test ban and
that the alleged absence of such means of verification is
nothing but an excuse for further development and refine
ment of nuclear weapons,
Reiterating the assertion made in several previous reso
lutions that, whatever may be the differences on the ques
tion of verification, there is no valid reason for delaying
the conclusion of an agreement on a comprehensive test
ban,
Recalling that since 1972 the Secretary-General has
declared that all the technical and scientific aspects of the
problem have been so fully explored that only a political
decision is now necessary in order to achieve final agree
ment, that when the existing means of verification are
taken into account it is difficult to understand further delay
in achieving agreement on an underground-test ban, and
that the potential risks of continuing underground nuclear
weapon tests would far outweigh any possible risks from
ending such tests,
Bearing in mind that the three nuclear-weapon States
which act as depositaries of the Treaty Banning Nuclear
Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and
under Water3 in the report they submitted on 30 July 1980
to the Committee on Disarmament, after four years of tri
lateral negotiations, stated, inter a/ia, that they were
"mindful of the great value for all mankind that the prohi
bition of all nuclear-weapon-test explosions in all environ
ments will have" as well as "conscious of the important
responsibility placed upon them to find solutions to the
remaining problems", adding furthermore that they were
determined to exert their best efforts and necessary will
and persistence "to bring the negotiations to an early and
successful conclusion",4
Taking into account that the same three nuclear-weapon
States undertook twenty years ago, in the above-men
tioned Treaty, to seek the achievement of the discontinu
ance of all test explosions of nuclear weapons for all time
and that such an undertaking was explicitly reiterated in
1968 in the preamble to the Treaty on the Non-Prolifera
tion of Nuclear Weapons,5 article VI of which further
embodies their solemn and legally binding commitment to
take effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear
arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament,
Bearing in mind the growing negative influence that the
total lack of compliance with those undertakings had on
both the first and the second Review Conferences of the
Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
4 See CD/ 139/ Appendix 11/vol. II, document CD/ 130.
5 Resolution 23 73 (XXII), annex.
58
General Assembly-Thirty-ninth Session
Weapons, held at Geneva from 5 to 30 May 1975 and
from 11 August to 7 September 1980, respectively,
Convinced that the maintenance of such a situation
would not augur well for the third review conference of
that Treaty, which is to take place from 22 April to 3 May
1985, and even for the future of the Treaty itself,
Deploring that, due to the persistent obstruction of a
very small number of its members, the Conference on Dis
armament has been unable to initiate multilateral negotia
tion of a treaty for the prohibition of all nuclear-weapon
tests, as it was specifically requested to do in General
Assembly resolution 38/62 of 15 December 1983,
Noting that the Conference on Disarmament has already
received various concrete proposals on this question,
including a complete draft for the eventual text of the
treaty as a whole,
l. Reiterates, for the eighth time, its strongest condem
nation of all nuclear-weapon tests;
2. Reiterates also once again its grave concern that
nuclear-weapon testing continues unabated, against the
wishes of the overwhelming majority of Member States;
3. Reaffirms its conviction that a treaty to achieve the
prohibition of all nuclear-test explosions by all States for
all time is a matter of the highest priority;
4. Reaffirms also its conviction that such a treaty would
constitute a contribution of the utmost importance to the
cessation of the nuclear-arms race and an indispensable
element for the success of the Treaty on the Non-Prolifera
tion of Nuclear Weapons, since it is only through the fulfil
ment of the obligations under the Treaty that its three
depositary Powers may expect all other parties to comply
likewise with their respective obligations;
5. Urges once more the three depositary Powers of the
Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere,
in Outer Space and under Water and of the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to abide strictly by
their undertakings to seek to achieve the early discontinu
ance of all test explosions of nuclear weapons for all time
and to expedite negotiations to this end;
6. Urges also all States that have not yet done so to
adhere to the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the
Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water and, mean
while, to refrain from testing in the environments covered
by that Treaty;
7. Reiterates its appeal to all States members of the
Conference on Disarmament to initiate immediately the
multilateral negotiation of a treaty for the prohibition of
all nuclear-weapon tests and to exert their best endeavours
in order that the Conference may transmit to the General
Assembly at its fortieth session the complete draft of such
a treaty;
8. Calls upon the States depositaries of the Treaty Ban
ning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer
Space and under Water and the Treaty on the Non
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, by virtue of their spe
cial responsibilities under those two Treaties and as a pro
visional measure, to bring to a halt without delay all
nuclear-test explosions, either through a trilaterally agreed
moratorium or through three unilateral moratoria;
9. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its
fortieth session the item entitled "Cessation of all test
explosions of nuclear weapons".
97th plenary meeting
12 December 198 4
6 Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-ninth Session, Supple
ment No. 27 (A/39/27), sect. 111.A.
39/53. Urgent need for a comprehensive nuclear
test-ban treaty
The General Assembly,
Convinced of the urgent need for a comprehensive
nuclear-test-ban treaty capable of attracting the widest
possible international support and adherence,
Reaffirming its conviction that an end to all nuclear test
ing by all States in all environments for all time would be a
major step towards ending the qualitative improvement,
development and proliferation of nuclear weapons, a
means of relieving the deep apprehension concerning the
harmful consequences of radioactive contamination for
the health of present and future generations and a measure
of the utmost importance in bringing the nuclear-arms
race to an end,
Recalling that the parties to the Treaty Banning Nuclear
Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and
under Water3undertook not to carry out any nuclear
weapon-test explosion, or any other nuclear explosion, in
the environments covered by that Treaty, and that in that
Treaty the parties expressed their determination to con
tinue negotiations to achieve the discontinuance of all test
explosions of nuclear weapons for all time,
Recalling also that the parties to the Treaty on the Non
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons5recalled the determina
tion expressed by the parties to the Treaty Banning
Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space
and under Water in its preamble to seek to achieve the dis
continuance of all test explosions of nuclear weapons for
all time and to continue negotiations to this end, declaring
their intention to achieve at the earliest possible date the
cessation of the nuclear-arms race and to undertake effec
tive measures in the direction of nuclear disarmament,
Recalling further its previous resolutions on this subject,
Taking into account that part of the report of the Con
ference on Disarmament concerning consideration of the
item entitled "Nuclear-test ban" during its session in
1984,6
Also taking into account relevant proposals and initia
tives put forward in the Conference on Disarmament dur
ing its session in 1984,
Expressing its profound regret that, in spite of strenuous
efforts, the Conference on Disarmament was unable to
reach agreement on the re-establishment at its session in
1984 of an Ad H oc Committee under item 1 of its agenda,
entitled "Nuclear-test ban",
Recognizing the important role of the Conference on
Disarmament in the negotiation of a comprehensive
nuclear-test-ban treaty,
Recognizing the importance to such a treaty of the work
on a global seismic detection network, assigned by the
Conference on Disarmament to the Ad Hoe Group of Sci
entific Experts to Consider International Co-operative
Measures to Detect and Identify Seismic Events,
Recalling paragraph 31 of the Final Document of the
Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly,7 relating
to verification of disarmament and arms control agree
ments, which stated that the form and modalities of the
verification to be provided for in any specific agreement
depend on, and should be determined by, the purposes,
scope and nature of the agreement,
1. Reiterates its profound concern that, despite the
express wishes of the majority of Member States, nuclear
testing continues;
7 Resolution S-10 2.
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