the delegations of Australia and the Federal Republic of Germany will be helpful in this regard. We believe that the paper on article IX provided by the Chairman of the ad hoc Committee on Chemical Weapons deserves special attention. It should be regarded as a bold attempt to overcome a stalemate which has hampered progress on this important subject for a rather long period, adversely affecting the whole of our work on the convention. We would hope that all delegations, especially those which so far have had difficulties with CD/PV.554 31 (Mr. Dietze, German Democratic Republic ) the existing concepts in this field, will open-mindedly approach the ideas in the Chairman ’s paper. We see a chance that the optimistic start to this year's work will yield further results. My delegation will spare no effort to advance our work on a subject which is of crucial importance to our Government. The forthcoming fourth review conference of the non-proliferation treaty, to which my country also gives particular weight, highlights the need for our forum to intensify its efforts in the field of nuclear disarmament. We welcome the fact that during the spring session all 40 members of the CD finally agreed on the basic approach to a draft mandate for an ad hoc committee on agenda item 1. We expect this committee to be set up early in the summer, thus allowing the Conference, after a long and - let me say - a not particularly encouraging recess, to proceed with practical work on a comprehensive nuclear test ban. Although such a basis is still lacking with regard to agenda items 2 and 3, we none the less consider the decision taken by the CD to hold a series of informal plenary meetings on these items as 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a diplomatic statement discussing the progress and future plans of a conference related to disarmament and non-proliferation of chemical and nuclear weapons. The language used is formal and technical, indicating a focus on international relations and politics. The text does not mention economic development, natural resources, or environmental issues, but rather emphasizes the importance of cooperation and progress on disarmament agreements.

**Category**
International relations, Science and technology