among those countries which regard nuclear deterrence as relevant to its national security does nonetheless consider with apprehension the dangers inherent in an irresponsible and unnecessary proliferation of nuclear armaments. Obviously, security requirements are different in the various regions of the world, and different are the solutions given by each country to its own security problems. Italy respects this variety of approaches to security issues and does not attempt to interfere with the ways in which other countries protect their national sovereignty and territorial integrity. We therefore feel entitled to very much the same respect for our own policies, and we hope that this year the First Committee will handle this delicate question in a more constructive spirit than at the previous session, thus paving the way to substantive consideration of the issue of the prevention of war in the Conference on Disarmament. As I have already said, preventing war is a complex task. Among the priority goals to be pursued the prevention of both horizontal and vertical proliferation of nuclear weapons is at the top of the list. Italy was therefore deeply satisfied by the successful outcome of the Third Review Conference of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear weapons and the consensus achieved on the Final Document. We think that this outcome provides a sound basis for our debates on issues on which the Conference highlighted the existence of widespread concerns. This is particularly true for the very important issue of a comprehensive test-ban treaty, on which the General Assembly and the Conference on Disarmament have been unable for years to achieve even a limited measure of consensus. We believe that it does not really serve a useful purpose to view a comprehensive test-ban treaty as a means to bring about reductions in nuclear 
**Analysis**
This text appears to be a diplomatic statement discussing international security and disarmament issues, specifically the prevention of nuclear proliferation and the promotion of a comprehensive test-ban treaty. The language used is formal and diplomatic, indicating that it is a statement made by a country or government representative. The content focuses on international relations, security, and diplomacy, which suggests that it is related to international politics and governance.

**Category**
International relations, Science and technology