Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=02/22/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-299920

TITLE=MALAYSIA/N-A-M (LONG -ONLY)

BYLINE=NANCY-AMELIA COLLINS

DATELINE=BANGKOK

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Non-Arab ministers at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Malaysia are hoping for a communiqué demanding that Baghdad surrender any weapons of mass destruction, while Arab delegates are lobbying for a more softly-worded resolution. But as Nancy-Amelia Collins reports, the delegates are apparently united in a condemnation of U-S plans to attack Iraq.

TEXT: The crises in Iraq and North Korea have been hotly debated during the run-up to the two-day Non-Aligned Movement summit, which will open Monday in the Malaysian capitol with more than 50 heads of state in

attendance.

Arab delegates have been promoting a soft approach towards Iraq, urging that the summit only ''encourage'' Baghdad to cooperate with United Nations demands that it give up its weapons of mass destruction. The Arabs have proposed that Israel, instead, be singled out as the only country in the Middle East possessing such weapons.

But delegates from the non-Arab countries have been insisting on a summit resolution demanding that Iraq comply fully with all U-N resolutions.

Still, there appeared to be overwhelming sentiment among the delegates for a resolution condemning Washington's plans to invade Iraq and disarm it by force.

The United States and Britain have over one-hundred-fifty-thousand troops in the Gulf region prepared to go to war unless President Saddam Hussein complies with the U-N demands.

Iraq's delegates, lobbying for support at the summit, have struck out at their neighbors who oppose a U-S invasion, but at the same time have allowed U-S-led troops onto their soil in preparation for a war.

The wrangling came as U-N weapons inspectors gave Iraq a deadline for destroying dozens of warheads and missiles, which the inspectors say violate restrictions placed on the country after the 1991 Gulf War. A refusal by Baghdad to comply with that order could be considered a justification for an invasion.

Another contentious issue facing the N-A-M summit is North Korea's nuclear ambitions. North Korea pulled out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and expelled U-N nuclear monitors last month after Washington announced that Pyongyang had admitted to having a covert nuclear weapons program.

The N-A-M diplomats have been asking Pyongyang to reconsider its

decision to pull out of the treaty. Pyongyang appears ready to deny that request. Instead, its delegation has been lobbying the summit for a statement accusing Washington of having started the crisis

The Non-Aligned Movement, which was formed as a neutral position between the Western and Soviet Cold War blocs, says its views are important. The delegates point out that six N-A-M member countries currently have seats on the 15-member U-N Security Council, which only needs nine votes to pass a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. (Signed)

NEB/HK/NAC/BK/PT