also thank Ambassador Ledogar for his kind words of welcome. It is indeed a pleasure to be back here in the CD-I spent a number of years here and it is good to be back in a familiar surrounding with, in fact, some familiar faces. So I regard it not only as a privilege but also a great pleasure to be here with you today. I appreciate this opportunity to share with the Conference on Disarmament our perspectives on the defence and space negotiations. My predecessor, Ambassador Cooper, spoke with you last August. Since then several positive developments have occurred, although key areas of disagreement remain. Throughout the five-year history of the defence and space talks the United States has had a consistent objective. We seek to facilitate a co-operative transition to a more stable deterrence which relies increasingly on non-nuclear defences against strategic ballistic missiles, should they prove feasible. Today's strategic balance relies almost exclusively on nuclear offensive weapons. Advances in non-nulcear technologies now make it likely that greater reliance on advanced defences can be combined with stabilizing reductions in strategic offences to reduce further the risk of war. To achieve these goals, the United States has a forward-looking approach in the defence and space talks. We seek to assure full testing rights for advanced defensive technologies, as allowed in the 1972 anti-ballistic missile, or ABM Treaty. We seek to free space-based ABM radars and their substitutes from outdated ABM Treaty limits. United States proposals would require serious and thorough discussions with the Soviet Union on specific measures for a co-operative transition prior to either party's future deployment of advanced defences beyond current ABM Treaty limits. United States proposals would also assure deployment rights after those talks. Finally, the United States seeks, through predictability - that is, confidence-building - measures, to avert 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a diplomatic statement discussing the defense and space negotiations between countries, specifically mentioning the ABM Treaty and the goal of transitioning to a more stable deterrence system. The language used is formal and diplomatic, indicating a high-level discussion between nations. The focus on defense and space technologies suggests that the topic is related to national security and international relations.

**Category**
Science and Technology, International Relations