political will to reach that goal, since we already have sufficient means of verification to guarantee the total prohibition without which it will be impossible to stop the present international rivalry for the possession of more, and more terrifying, instruments of death. JVM/16 A/C.l/40/PV.S 66 (Mr. Albornoz, Ecuador) Ecuador, a country that has always been devoted to peace, recognized in General Assembly resolution 39/53 that a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty would be a decisive element in effecting a halt to the nuclear-arms race and to the further refinement of nuclear weapons; but we have affirmed that there is a need for immediate negotiations and not just an appeal to the Conference on Disarmament, with things then to continue as they are. The Foreign Minister of Ecuador , Mr. Edgar Teran, pointed out to the General Assembly at this session the need to progress towards real disarmament, above all in the parts of our world most given to conflicts, and he said: "In all international forums Ecuador has criticized the arms race, whatever its origin. Ecuador is a party to the Treaty of Tlatelolco which is intended to preserve Latin America as a nuclear-free zone. "Disarmament is the goal which mankind must pursue, but the least we can do is to seek arms limitation." (A/40/PV.ll, p. 12) At a time of world-wide crisis and uncontainable inflation . when external debt has a backbreaking effect on the great majority of countries , further aggravated by terrifying natural disasters, it is more urgent than ever to deal with items on our agenda, such as the economic and social effects of the arms race and its deeply damaging effect on peace and security in the world, and the link between disarmament and development and the possible reallo.cation of resources from 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on international relations, disarmament, and the impact of the arms race on global issues such as peace, security, and economic development. It highlights the importance of negotiating a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty to stop the nuclear arms race and redirect resources towards development.

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