security questions and arms races outside the sphere of Europe. Ambassador Rasaputram of Sri Lanka also touched on the issue in his statement of 22 March. In the view of my delegation there are many independent regional initiatives which deserve our attention. One such initiative has been my country's proposal presented to the General Assembly since 1974 on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. A group of experts was assigned the task of preparing a report on the subject. The Secretary-General will present the report to the General Assembly next fall. Can the Conference on Disarmament contribute in this regard? The Assembly has also in the past adopted a stream of resolutions on the denuclearization of Africa. The Disarmament Commission has failed up till now to reach consensus on this important regional issue. I believe all members of the OAU are entitled to expect this important regional disarmament measure to be put under consideration in the Conference on Disarmament. During previous years aspects of regional disarmament were traditionally considered, inter alia, under the umbrella of item 8. This year there is an imbalance. No ad hoc committee on the comprehensive programme of disarmament has been established. A forum should therefore be devised to rectify this situation in order to afford regional issues suitable consideration. My delegation would like to propose a comprehensive discussion on the issue of regional disarmament within the framework of the CD. I shall now turn to the chemical weapons convention. At the outset, I wish to pay tribute to the efforts of the former Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee on Chemical Weapons, Ambassador Pierre Morel of France, and the five chairmen of the working groups, for their tireless efforts and their dedication to expediting the preparation of the draft convention. I also 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing international relations, disarmament, and security issues, with a focus on the Conference on Disarmament and regional initiatives. The language used is formal and diplomatic, suggesting a discussion among government representatives or international organizations. The topics mentioned, such as nuclear-weapon-free zones, denuclearization, and chemical weapons conventions, are all related to international security and disarmament.

**Category**
International relations, Science and technology