A/RES/52/38 Page 21 4. Notes with satisfaction the Protocol to START II, the Joint Agreed Statement, and the Letters on Early Deactivation, signed by the Russian Federation and the United States of America in New York on 26 September 1997, which are intended to promote the further process of still deeper reductions and limitations of strategic offensive arms; 5. Welcomes the signing on 26 September 1997 by Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States of America of a number of significant agreements that contribute to ensuring the viability of the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems;46 6. Expresses its satisfaction at the entry into force and ongoing implementation of the 1991 Treaty32 as well as the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States of America to the 1993 Treaty,33 and expresses its hope that it will soon be possible for the Russian Federation to take corresponding steps for ratifying that Treaty; 7. Expresses further satisfaction at the continuing implementation of the Treaty between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America on the Elimination of Their IntermediateRange and Shorter-Range Missiles,44 in particular at the completion by the parties of the destruction of all their declared missiles subject to elimination under the Treaty; 8. Welcomes the removal of all nuclear weapons from the territory of Kazakhstan as of 1 June 1995, from the territory of Ukraine as of 1 June 1996, and from the territory of Belarus as of 30 November 1996; 9. Encourages Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States of America to continue their cooperative efforts aimed at eliminating nuclear weapons and strategic offensive arms on the basis of existing agreements, and welcomes the contributions that other States are making to such cooperation as well; 10. Welcomes the participation in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons5 of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine as non-nuclear States, which thereby provided notable enhancement of the nonproliferation regime; 11. Urges the Russian Federation and the United States of America to commence negotiations on a START III agreement immediately after START II enters into force, thereby realizing the understandings they reached in the joint statement issued at Helsinki;34 12. Encourages and supports the Russian Federation and the United States of America in their efforts to reduce their nuclear weapons and to continue to give those efforts the highest priority in order to contribute to the ultimate goal of eliminating those weapons; 13. Invites the Russian Federation and the United States of America to keep other States Members of the United Nations duly informed of progress in their discussions and in the implementation of their strategic offensive arms agreements and unilateral decisions. 67th plenary meeting 9 December 1997 /...