Foreign ministers from around the world attempted yesterday to breathe life into a 35-year old nuclear disarmament treaty whose credibility UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says is seriously challenged. The United States, in the month-long conference that appears deadlocked before it even begins, wants the focus on Iraq and North Korea. But the majority of nations complain that the nuclear powers, mainly the United States and Russia, have moved far too slowly in abiding by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), which calls for them to move toward dismantling their arsenals.

Iran threatened on Saturday to resume producing nuclear fuel. And North Korea, which said it has nuclear weapons and withdrew from the NPT, on the eve of the conference apparently launched a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan, adding to tensions.

The 188 members of the 1970 treaty, the cornerstone in arms reduction treaties, meet every five years to review progress and set new goals. Only the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China are permitted to have nuclear arms while all other countries vow to give up atomic warheads for good. Nevertheless, Brazilian Sergio de Queiroz Duarte, president of the conference, said on Friday he expected some movement this week because many countries hold ?their cards close to their chest until they have to take a decision.?

Still, Annan has several times expressed his apprehension that the treaty is fraying. He told a forum in February the NPT ?faces serious challenges to its credibility.? Annan and Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, open the conference after which a host of foreign ministers, including Iran?s Kamal Kharrazi, address the forum, which ends on May 27.

<B>Global moratorium</B>

Kharrazi has scheduled private meetings with both ElBaradei and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. But North Korea won?t attend. ElBaradei has called for a global moratorium on the enrichment of uranium and reprocessing of plutonium, the two ways of making fuel for atomic weapons. Ironically, the United States and Iran are allies in opposing ElBaradei?s proposal. But many states say it is a flaw in the NPT that parties to it can legally develop the ability to produce bomb fuel. Another flaw is the withdrawal of North Korea from the NPT without sanctions.

Annan and Elbaradei are also pushing for more nations to ratify a protocol to the treaty which gives the nuclear watchdog the right to conduct more intrusive short-notice inspections. ?Addressing one particular institutional weakness ought to be a no-brainer but there appears to be a surprising amount of resistance,? said Rebecca Johnson, a disarmament expert from the London-based Acronym Institute.

Evelyn LEOPOLD</B>