The USG considers that the Protocol is designed to afford the greatest possible protection to civilians and other war victims during international armed conflict To that end it imposes a number of significant restraints on the use of means and methods of warfare These restraints have been drafted with conventional weapons in mind and this is appropriate as restraints designed to be compatible with nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction would provide little or no improvement of protections with respect to the use of conventional weapons Thus although the use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction is subject to the customary rules of international law this Protocol is wisely not designed to affect the use of such weapons Further restraints on the ac- quisition stockpiling and use of such weapons mus t be and are being sought elsewhere in other negotiations