Thank you for giving me the floor, On behalf of delegation of Latvia, I Wish to express our appreciation of the decision to grant an observer status to Latvian delegation to the Conference on Disarmament, since this is a very first time my delegation participates in this important forum.

Mr. President,

Latvia shares the concerns and expectations of the international community with regard to international peace and stability, We are ready to assume our part of responsibility in this endeavor. Latvia views the Conference on Disarmament as the world's principal multilateral disarmament negotiating forum and a vital mechanism for moving forward the multilateral arms control and disarmament agenda.

Despite of the certain difficulties during last years, the Conference can be proud of many outstanding achievements in the past. I wish to name just the major multilateral arms limitation and disarmament agreements, which have been negotiated by the Conference and to which Latvia is a state party, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; Convention on Prohibition of the Developincrit, Production and Stockpiling of Biological and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction and Chemical Weapons Convention. Latvia has signed and is planning this year to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Latvia also participates in the review conferences of existing multilateral arms control and disarmament instruments.

This implies the obligation to Latv)a to contribute to the global implementation of the befirementioned agreements and promote a non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

We reaffirm the importance of the Conference on Disarmament, which provides the venue, format, and the framework in which its members can negotiate realistic international instruments, which improve international security conditions.

In conclusion, Mt. President, 1 would like to express a hope, that during this session, the Conference will make a decisive breakthrough in the stalemate that has persisted in last years and to assure you of active participation of Latvian delegation in the work of the Conference.

Thank You, Mr. President.