A/RES/53/77
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6. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-fourth session the item entitled “Regional
disarmament”.
79th plenary meeting
4 December 1998
P
CONVENTIONAL ARMS CONTROL AT THE REGIONAL AND SUBREGIONAL LEVELS
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolutions 48/75 J of 16 December 1993, 49/75 O of 15 December 1994, 50/70 L of
12 December 1995, 51/45 Q of 10 December 1996 and 52/38 Q of 9 December 1997,
Recognizing the crucial role of conventional arms control in promoting regional and international
peace and security,
Convinced that conventional arms control needs to be pursued primarily in the regional and
subregional contexts since most threats to peace and security in the post-cold-war era arise mainly among
States located in the same region or subregion,
Aware that the preservation of a balance in the defence capabilities of States at the lowest level of
armaments would contribute to peace and stability and should be a prime objective of conventional arms
control,
Desirous of promoting agreements to strengthen regional peace and security at the lowest possible
level of armaments and military forces,
Noting with particular interest the initiatives taken in this regard in different regions of the world,
in particular the commencement of consultations among a number of Latin American countries and the
proposals for conventional arms control made in the context of South Asia, and recognizing, in the context
of this subject, the relevance and value of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe,42 which
is a cornerstone of European security,
Believing that militarily significant States and States with larger military capabilities have a special
responsibility in promoting such agreements for regional security,
Believing also that an important objective of conventional arms control in regions of tension should
be to prevent the possibility of military attack launched by surprise and to avoid aggression,
1. Decides to give urgent consideration to the issues involved in conventional arms control at the
regional and subregional levels;
42
CD/1064.
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