well-known diplomatic skill. I would also like to express my thanks for the outstanding presidency of your predecessor, Ambassador Kamal of Pakistan. I regret that some colleagues have left Geneva and the Conference on Disarmament - Ambassadors Azambuja of Brazil, Sharma of India and von Stülpnagel of the Federal Republic of Germany. My best wishes go to them in their new responsible functions, and my sincere congratulations go to Ambassador Sinegiorgis for her well-deserved promotion. I am very happy to see the appointment of another female ambassador to this Conference. I also wish to take this opportunity to welcome the new ambassadors to the Conference - Ambassador Krâlik of Czechoslovakia, Ambassador Ricupero of Brazil, Ambassador Chadha of India and Ambassador von Wagner of the Federal Republic of Germany, and I also welcome to Geneva my friend, the distinguished representative of neighbouring Norway, Ambassador Oscar Vaem^. Nuclear missiles are now being turned into objects of art. And American Pershing-2s and Soviet SS-20s are to be placed side by side in the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and in the Central Military Museum in Moscow. We are, indeed, living in historic times. Disarmament is picking up speed. Through unilateral undertakings. Through bilateral agreements. Through multilateral negotiations. There may have been more progress in disarmament in the last 30 months than in the previous 30 years. And, in a sense, more progress appears to have been recorded in the last 30 days than in the previous 30 months. A couple of years ago, the two super-Powers agreed to eliminate their land-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Today they are systematically destroying them and steadily approaching the goal of the final elimination of these missiles. But not quite total elimination, however. They have agreed 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a speech or statement from a diplomat or government representative, discussing international relations, disarmament, and the progress made in reducing nuclear weapons. The language is formal and diplomatic, and the content focuses on the actions of governments and international organizations, rather than specific economic or social issues.

**Category**
International relations, Science and technology