I am pleased to take the floor today to invite the attention of the Conference to a letter dated 16 April 1990 which the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt addressed to the Secretary-General on a proposal to establish a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. The letter is contained in document CD/989, which has been circulated today. The rationale of the proposal is to spare a region fraught with tension from the scourage of a possible recourse to any type of weapon of mass destruction. In this context it is appropriate to recall that as far back as 1948 the Commission for Conventional Armaments advised the Security Council that it considered that "weapons of mass destruction should be defined to include atomic explosive weapons, radioactive material weapons, lethal chemical and biological weapons, and any weapons developed in the future which have characteristics comparable in destructive effect to those of the atomic bomb or other weapons mentioned above". This definition seems to be still valid. We believe that means of delivery should also be included in the proposed ban. This lofty objective requires the conclusion of credible and verifiable regional measures to ensure the total absence of all such weapons from the Middle East. Since 1974 Egypt has presented annually to the General Assembly a proposal for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. The international community has resolved that nuclear weapons are the most lethal and devastating weapons of mass destruction. Consequently, it has assigned the highest priority to the task of removing the threat of nuclear war. Our proposal has been endorsed by the General Assembly by consensus ever since 1980. A highly qualified group of experts appointed by the Secretary-General is now in the process of finalizing a report which the 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a proposal for a regional disarmament agreement in the Middle East, focusing on the elimination of weapons of mass destruction. The language used is formal and diplomatic, suggesting a high-level international discussion. The context of international agreements and resolutions also indicates that this is a topic of global importance. Given these characteristics, it is likely that this text falls under a category related to international relations and security.

**Category**
International relations, Security