The General Assembly,
 
      Bearing in mind the need to allay the legitimate concern of the States
of the world with regard to ensuring lasting security for their peoples,
 
      Convinced that nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat to mankind and
to the survival of civilization,
 
      Welcoming the progress achieved in recent years in both nuclear and
conventional disarmament,
 
      Noting that, despite recent progress in the field of nuclear
disarmament, further efforts are necessary towards the achievement of general
and complete disarmament under effective international control,
 
      Convinced that nuclear disarmament and the complete elimination of
nuclear weapons are essential to remove the danger of nuclear war,
 
      Determined strictly to abide by the relevant provisions of the Charter
of the United Nations on the non-use of force or threat of force,
 
      Recognizing that the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty
of non-nuclear-weapon States need to be safeguarded against the use or threat
of use of force, including the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons,
 
      Considering that, until nuclear disarmament is achieved on a universal
basis, it is imperative for the international community to develop effective
measures and arrangements to ensure the security of non-nuclear-weapon States
against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons from any quarter,
 
      Recognizing that effective measures and arrangements to assure the non-
nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons can
contribute positively to the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons,
 
      Bearing in mind paragraph 59 of the Final Document of the Tenth Special
Session of the General Assembly, the first special session devoted to
disarmament, in which it urged the nuclear-weapon States to pursue efforts to
conclude, as appropriate, effective arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon
States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, and desirous of
promoting the implementation of the relevant provisions of the Final Document,
 
      Recalling the relevant parts of the special report of the Committee on
Disarmament submitted to the General Assembly at its twelfth special session,
the second special session devoted to disarmament, and of the special report
of the Conference on Disarmament submitted to the Assembly at its fifteenth
special session, the third special session devoted to disarmament, as well as
the report of the Conference on its 1992 session,
 
      Recalling also paragraph 12 of the Declaration of the 1980s as the
Second Disarmament Decade, contained in the annex to its resolution 35/46 of 3
December 1980, which states, inter alia, that all efforts should be exerted by
the Committee on Disarmament urgently to negotiate with a view to reaching
agreement on effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon
States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons,
 
      Noting the in-depth negotiations undertaken in the Conference on
Disarmament and its Ad Hoc Committee on Effective International Arrangements
to Assure Non-Nuclear-Weapon States against the Use or Threat of Use of
Nuclear Weapons, with a view to reaching agreement on this item,
 
      Taking note of the proposals submitted under that item in the Conference
on Disarmament, including the drafts of an international convention,
 
      Taking note also of the relevant decision of the Eleventh Conference of
Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Cartagena de
Indias, Colombia, from 18 to 20 October 1995, and also of the decision adopted
by the Tenth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned
Countries, held at Jakarta from 1 to 6 September 1992, as well as the relevant
recommendations of the Organization of the Islamic Conference reiterated in
the Final Communique of the Twentieth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers,
held at Istanbul from 4 to 8 August 1991, calling upon the Conference on
Disarmament to reach an urgent agreement on an international convention to
assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear
weapons, 
 
      Taking note further of the unilateral declarations made by all
nuclear-weapon States on their policies of non-use or non-threat of use of
nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon States,
 
      Noting the support expressed in the Conference on Disarmament and in the
General Assembly for the elaboration of an international convention to assure
non- nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear
weapons, as well as the difficulties pointed out in evolving a common approach
acceptable to all,
 
      Noting also the greater willingness to overcome the difficulties
encountered in previous years,
 
      Taking note of Security Council resolution 984 (1995) of 11 April 1995
and the views expressed on it,
 
      Recalling its relevant resolutions adopted in previous years, in
particular resolutions 45/54 of 4 December 1990, 46/32 of 6 December 1991,
47/50 of 9 December 1992, 48/73 of 16 December 1993, 49/73 of 15 December 1994
and 50/68 of 12 December 1995,
 
      1.    Reaffirms the urgent need to reach an early agreement on effective
international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use
or threat of use of nuclear weapons;
 
      2.    Notes with satisfaction that in the Conference on Disarmament
there is no objection, in principle, to the idea of an international
convention to assure non- nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of
use of nuclear weapons, although the difficulties as regards evolving a common
approach acceptable to all have also been pointed out;
 
      3.    Appeals to all States, especially the nuclear-weapon States, to
work actively towards an early agreement on a common approach and, in
particular, on a common formula that could be included in an international
instrument of a legally binding character;
 
      4.    Recommends that further intensive efforts should be devoted to the
search for such a common approach or common formula and that the various
alternative approaches, including, in particular, those considered in the
Conference on Disarmament, should be further explored in order to overcome the
difficulties;
 
      5.    Recommends also that the Conference on Disarmament should actively
continue intensive negotiations with a view to reaching early agreement and
concluding effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon
States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, taking into
account the widespread support for the conclusion of an international
convention and giving consideration to any other proposals designed to secure
the same objective;
 
      6.    Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-second
session the item entitled "Conclusion of effective international arrangements
to assure non- nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of
nuclear weapons".