Conference on Disarmament: no tangible progress reported on chemical, nuclear test bans.

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In spite of intensive negotiations, the Conference on Disarmament concluded its two-part 1988 session (Geneva, 2 February-29 April, 7 July-20 September) without reporting tangible progress on major disarmament issues, including such toppriority issues as a chemical weapons ban and a nucleartest ban.

The 40-member body includes the five nuclear-weapon StatesChina, France, USSR, United Kingdom and United States-other militarily significant States, as well as some neutral and non-aligned countries, known as the "Group of 21".

Ali Shams Ardakani of Iran, Conference President for September, at the conclusion of the session, said the ideals of disarmament raised hopes for humanity. The Conference, as the sole international forum for multilateral disarmament negotiations, should be empowered to finalize expeditiously a comprehensive chemical weapons convention, he said.

During 1988, the Conference reestablished five ad hoc committees to continue work on banning chemical and radiological weapons, preventing an arms race in outer space, a comprehensive programme of disarmament, and effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. These bodies work towards reaching consensus on elaborating new instruments in the field of arms limitation and disarmament.

Within the framework of its permanent 10-item agenda, it also considered items related to a nuclear-test ban; cessation of the nuclear-arms race and nuclear disarmament; and prevention of nuclear wan No consensus was reached on proposals to establish subsidiary bodies on those three agenda items.

The Conference reaffirmed its decisionto increase its membership by not more than four States, but no agreement has yet been reached on which four States would become members. During the session many high-ranking diplomats addressed the Conference.

Chemical weapons

Negotiations continued to ban chemical weapons through a multilateral convention calling for prohibition of development, production and stockpiling of such weapons and for their destruction.

Bogumil Sujka of Poland, Ad Hoc Committee Chairman, reported progress on certain definitions and criteria, for example, agreement on the term "chemical weapons production facility". Some guidelines on the international inspectorate were agreed upon.

Among proposals presented in 1988 was a joint paper from the USSR and the United States on the definition of a chemical weapons production...