World "sleepwalking" to nuclear proliferation-Annan

GENEVA, June 21 (Reuters) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned today that the world was ''sleepwalking'' towards nuclear proliferation and must urgently revive efforts to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.

Addressing the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, he said that without moves to halt proliferation, more and more states were likely to seek nuclear weapons which could also fall into non-state hands.

''The international community seems almost to be sleepwalking down that latter path - not by conscious choice, but rather through miscalculation, sterile debate and paralysis,'' Annan said.

He was speaking against a backdrop of high international tension over North Korea's nuclear programme and Western fears that Iran may be trying to develop nuclear arms.

North Korea is apparently preparing to test a long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead as far as Alaska in what the United States, South Korea and Japan have called a grave threat to regional security.

''I hope the leader of the DPRK (North Korea) will listen to what the world is telling them, and take care not to make the situation on the Peninsular even more complicated,'' Annan said in his speech to the 65-state conference.

Iran for its part needed to reassure the world of its peaceful intentions by cooperating fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he added.

Globally, he called for a major effort towards nuclear disarmament to restore confidence between the nuclear powers and the rest of the international community along with the strengthening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

There was also an urgent need to revive the Geneva-based arms' forum and begin real negotiations on halting the production of fissile material as well as talks on preventing the weaponisation of outer space.

''If any single group has the collective power to wake the world ... it is the Conference on Disarmament,'' Annan said.

REUTERS SHR VV1519