the Conference on Disarmament. Highlighting the warm climate of the times was CD/PV.551 10 (Mr. Lee. Republic of Korea) the summit meeting held in Malta last December between the two super-Powers, which set the stage for a series of positive moves towards settlement of major outstanding disarmament issues. The breakthrough on a key issue at the Foreign Ministers' talks held in Moscow in February between the United States and the Soviet Union underscores a major step forward in the ongoing START talks expected to be concluded in the near future. Also viewed as a sign of headway in the negotiation is the reaching of agreement to sign a bilateral accord on chemical weapons at the forthcoming summit meeting. The holding of the "open skies" conference in pttawa demonstrated unremitting efforts to explore and validate a new dimension of confidence ­ building in the East-West disarmament talks. The Conference was also a venue for obtaining agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union on troop strength reductions in Central Europe. With this accord reached, the conclusion of the negotiations on conventional forces in Europe is perceived as a likely reality before the year's end. My Government welcomes these developments and hopes that they will have a positive influence on the negotiations undertaken by the Conference on Disarmament. Much effort has been devoted to negotiating a convention banning chemical weapons, as the issue has been the focus of world-wide attention and concern. Inter-sessional work by the Ad hoc Committee on Chemical Weapons was a reinforcing and complementary link to this year's negotiations. My delegation hopes that the spirit of accommodation and compromise will continue to be the guiding force in narrowing the remaining differences. The international Government-Industry Conference against Chemical Weapons held in Canberra last year provided an excellent occasion to affirm 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing international relations and disarmament agreements, specifically focusing on the Conference on Disarmament and negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union. It highlights several developments in disarmament efforts, including the signing of bilateral accords on chemical weapons and troop strength reductions in Central Europe. The text does not mention any economic, environmental, or social issues, which suggests that it is primarily focused on international relations and security.

**Category**
International relations, Science and technology