ElBaradei renews call for nuclear bomb-free world

ALGIERS, Jan 9 (Reuters) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohammed ElBaradei renewed a call today for a nuclear weapons-free world, saying atom bombs and missiles held by nine nations could ''end life as we know it''.

In a speech to a conference in Algeria, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate added his agency enjoyed only ''uneven authority'' as it sought to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons among nations who have pledged to respect its watchdog role.

Building a new international system of security that shunned nuclear weapons and placed fresh emphasis on negotiations and fighting poverty could help put that right, he said.

''We should always remember that the goal of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a world free from nuclear weapons,'' he told the conference on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in Africa, a nuclear weapons-free zone since South Africa gave up its nuclear arsenal over a decade ago.

''We have nine countries that possess nuclear weapons, we have 27,000 warheads in existence. We still have more than 30 countries that are members of alliances that rely on nuclear weapons as part of their security,'' ElBaradei said.

ElBaradei did not name the nine countries. Known nuclear states are the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan and North Korea. Israel, widely believed to be nuclear armed, does not comment on the topic.

''We witness increasing concern regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons and with it the increased danger of both the intentional or accidental use of nuclear weapons that could end life as we know it,'' ElBaradei said.

''The IAEA plays a crucial role in this. However the extent of the agency's authority remains uneven from country to country,'' he added.

He explained that too few countries had brought into force the Additional Protocol to the NPT that allows for intrusive, short-notice IAEA inspections of nuclear sites.

Iran has also minimised its cooperation with UN nuclear inspectors after ceasing to implement the Additional Protocol.

Iran's nuclear energy programme is seen by the West as a major proliferation risk. Gulf Arab nations who are uneasy neighbours of Iran say they will pursue nuclear power too.

The UN Security Council imposed some sanctions on Iran last month for failing to heed its demand to suspend its nuclear energy programme, seen as a possible smokescreen for assembling atom bombs since Tehran has impeded IAEA investigations.

Iran says it has a right assured by its membership of the NPT to enrich uranium for nuclear power plant fuel. It denies any intent to divert enrichment activity into bombmaking.

Reclusive North Korea drew international condemnation for an October 9 nuclear weapons test but has since agreed to return to six-party disarmament talks it had boycotted for a year.

Algerian President Bouteflika, in a speech, criticised what he called an unbalanced situation in which non-nuclear armed states were told to help fight the spread of nuclear weapons while nuclear armed states were being slow to keep promises to substantially cut stockpiles of atom bombs.

ElBaradei, an Egyptian, and his agency won the Peace Prize in 2005 for fighting the spread of nuclear weapons.

Reuters BDP GC2126