A/RES/52/38 Page 17 testing, development, production, stockpiling, loan, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons and on their destruction, and to conclude such an international convention at an early date, Recognizing that there now exist favourable conditions for creating a world free of nuclear weapons, Bearing in mind paragraph 50 of the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly,10 the first special session devoted to disarmament, calling for the urgent negotiation of agreements for the cessation of the qualitative improvement and development of nuclear-weapon systems, and for a comprehensive and phased programme with agreed time-frames, wherever feasible, for the progressive and balanced reduction of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery, leading to their ultimate and complete elimination at the earliest possible time, Reiterating the highest priority accorded to nuclear disarmament in the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the General Assembly and by the international community, Recognizing that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty16 and any proposed treaty on fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices must constitute disarmament measures, and not only non-proliferation measures, and that these measures, together with an international legal instrument on adequate security assurances for non-nuclear-weapon States and an international convention prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons, must be integral steps leading to the total elimination of nuclear weapons within a time-bound framework, Welcoming the entry into force of the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms,32 to which Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the United States of America are States parties, Welcoming also the conclusion of the Treaty on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms33 by the Russian Federation and the United States of America and the ratification of that Treaty by the United States of America, and looking forward to the full implementation of the START I32 and START II33 Treaties by the States parties, and to further concrete steps for nuclear disarmament by all nuclear-weapon States, Noting with appreciation the unilateral measures by the nuclear-weapon States for nuclear arms limitation, and encouraging them to undertake further such measures, Recognizing the complementarity of bilateral and multilateral negotiations on nuclear disarmament, and that bilateral negotiations can never replace multilateral negotiations in this respect, 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, and the multilateral efforts in the Conference on Disarmament to reach agreement on such an international convention at an early date, Recalling the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, issued on 8 July 1996,38 and welcoming the unanimous reaffirmation by all Judges of the Court that there exists an obligation for all States to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control, 38 A/51/218, annex. /...