Many traditional arms control experts considered these the most dangerous and destabilizing weapons.

Outside Government, arms control experts say there is no need to restart an old reactor or build a new one.

"Until three or four years ago, most pest control experts had never even seen a bedbug," he said.

The meeting is of intense interest to arms control experts in Washington.

Japan's mastery of these two technologies already makes it a "virtual nuclear power," arms control experts say.

The Defense Ministry refused to allow arms control experts with a European organization to take a look.

Given the Kashmir dispute, diplomats and arms control experts see nuclear weapons on the subcontinent as particularly dangerous.

Another American expert said that by late tonight arms control experts from the two sides had "worked through" the list of nine outstanding issues.

How George Bush maintains his campaign pose as a foreign policy and arms control expert is a bafflement.

Iraq is gambling that it can hold out until that happens, inspectors and arms control experts say.