Mr. President, as your presidency draws to a close, I believe we are all absolutely grateful to you for your efforts to guide our substantive work. In fact, a large number of subsidiary bodies have been established, and you are attempting to structure the debate on two important and urgent items on our agenda. You are following the diplomatic tradition of another great Nigerian to whom the cause of disarmament owes a great deal - I refer to Ambassador Adenji. On this occasion I wish to refer to one of the problems which, as we see it is of increasing importance on the agenda of the Conference on Disarmament: the prevention of an arms race in outer space. When joining this body a few weeks ago I had an opportunity to convey to the delegations present here a message from President Menem in which he referred expressly to the space issue. There are specific reasons for this, some of whose characteristics it is my intention to deal with in this statement. It has become customary to acknowledge the undeniable importance for space to the international community. Hence, I shall not dwell on the many different activities, including military activities, that are carried out by States in space. I do believe it important, however, to reiterate that the international situation at the end of this century as far as space is concerned is different from that of the 1960s and 1970s, which saw the most spectacular achievements in the technology race in space and, in parallel, the development of a body of rules to govern the peaceful use of space. Today we see that there are several countries besides those traditionally considered as space Powers that are acquiring the technologies necessary to gain access to 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a speech or statement given by a representative of a country at the Conference on Disarmament, discussing the importance of preventing an arms race in outer space. The language used is formal and diplomatic, suggesting a focus on international relations and security. The mention of specific countries and leaders, such as Nigeria and Argentina, adds to the impression that the topic is international and diplomatic.

**Category**
Science and technology, International trade