agreements, as also some other disarmament measures, was assigned to the Committee on Disarmament -now called the Conference on Disarmament. Unfortunately, the BG/14 A/C.l/40/PV.9 59-60 (Mr. Shah Nawaz, Pakistan) efforts of the neutral and non-aligned nations to start serious negotiations on such vitally important subjects as a nuclear test ban, cessation of the nuclear arms race, and nuclear disarmament and prevention of nuclear war have been frustrated on various technical and procedural pretexts. My delegation has stated unreservedly on various occasions that the conclusion of a treaty banning nuclear tests occupies a central position in our approach towards disarmament. It bears repetition that a comprehensive test-ban treaty would play a most significant role in curtailing the nuclear arms race, in gradually rendering the existing nuclear arsenals undependable, and in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to States that do not already possess them. It was in 1972, when the issue of a nuclear test ban had already been under discussion for more than 15 years, that the then Secretary-General of the United Nations declared that, all its technical and scientific aspects having been fully explored, only a political decision was needed to achieve final agreement. When the trilateral negotiations on a comprehensive test-ban treaty began, the world hoped that, since the issues pertinent to a test ban had been so thoroughly discussed, an agreement would be forthcoming without much further delay. However, since 1980, when the trilateral negotiations were broken off, we have strayed further and further away from our goal. Despite the tremendous progress that continues to be made in seismic detection technology, we are told that a test ban cannot be adequately verified. It is also claimed that a ban on nuclear explosions would not lead to reductions in nuclear arsenals. For at least one nuclear-weapon 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing international relations, specifically the topic of disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. The language used is formal and diplomatic, indicating that it may be an official statement or a report from a government or international organization. The text references international agreements, conferences, and negotiations, which suggests that it is related to international relations and diplomacy.

**Category**
Science and technology, International relations