text: Ad hoc Committee chaired by Ambassador Negrotto of Italy and whose report is being distributed today. It has supported the Committee's efforts to hold informal consultations, which are often preferable to public exchanges of polemical arguments. It cannot but regret that those efforts have not prompted the Ad hoc Committee to adopt a more realistic and pragmatic approach. It is, of course, comforting, intellectually, to repeat that the ball is in the camp of the nuclear Powers alone. It is easy to affirm that they could, if they so decided, disregard the differences in situation that CD/PV.570 10 (Mr, Morel, France) exist both between themselves and between non-nuclear-weapon States and conclude what would be a legally binding agreement, but one based on a unilateral obligation. The reality, however, is far from being that simple. Here, too, even if the international situation is changing, certain principles remain immutable for all, whether nuclear-weapon States or not, and the most fundamental of them is that of the non-use of force except in cases of legitimate self-defence. No security system, not even one based on the existence of nuclear weapons, can disregard this principle, which it is incumbent on all States to respect. I trust that our future discussions on this subject will take that into account. There is, lastly, a related area, that of nuclear non-proliferation, which, indeed, concerns disarmament, but also the development of harmonious co-operation between all the States interested in the development of civilian applications of nuclear energy. I shall confine myself today to restating briefly the reasons which led us to respond to the invitation extended to us to be represented as observers at the Fourth NPT Review Conference in three weeks' time. We wished to show our interest in the important international discussions that will take place 
analysis: The text appears to be a diplomatic statement discussing international relations, security, and disarmament, with a focus on the prevention of nuclear proliferation. It references the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the work of an Ad hoc Committee. The language used is formal and diplomatic, suggesting that the text is an official statement or declaration.