particular, that as a result of your diligence and diplomatic skill the initiative you took has led to fruitful consultations with a view to informal plenary meetings on items 2 and 3 of our agenda, which without any doubt are of primary concern to all of us. We believe that this is a first step in the right direction, and we hope it will lead to effective multilateral negotiations on the issues in question. I might also add that the early establishment of the Ad hoc Committee on item 5 - Prevention of an arms race in outer space - is yet another worthwhile achievement. I should like to take this opportunity to express my delegation's appreciation to your predecessor, the distinguished Ambassador Hendrik Wagenmakers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, who successfully guided the work of this Conference during the month of February. Allow me also to welcome most warmly our new colleagues who have recently joined the Conference on Disarmament, namely the distinguished Ambassadors of Argentina, Canada, China, Cuba, Italy, Kenya, Japan, Mexico, the United States and Venezuela. It is with pleasure that I assure them of my delegation's full co-operation in the successful discharge of our common endeavours. The decade of the 1980s which has just ended was a decade during which the international community showed particular concern over the spiralling arms race and exerted considerable efforts to achieve concrete disarmament measures. It is to be recalled that two United Nations special sessions devoted to disarmament, and a Conference on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development, were held between 1982 and 1988. At the close of the decade two other important conferences that dealt with chemical weapons were convened - the Paris Conference of States Parties to the 1925 Geneva Protocol and Other Interested States and the Canberra Government-Industry 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a diplomatic speech discussing international relations, disarmament, and multilateral negotiations. The language used is formal and diplomatic, indicating that the topic is likely related to international politics and security. The mention of specific countries and international organizations, such as the United Nations, also suggests that the topic is related to international relations.

**Category**
International relations, Humanitarian aid and relief