"North Korea and Iran are likely to be highlighted as being of particular concern" in the declaration, an official from the British delegation at the summit told AFP.

North Korea provoked worldwide concern in October when it revealed it had been developing nuclear weapons.

The hardline communist nation has since repeatedly threatened drastic action if it is attacked, and has been accused by the United States of nuclear blackmail.

On Monday, US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz used a visit to South Kora to urge Pyongyang to give up the programme, promising a "devastating" response to any attack on the Korean peninsula.

While less immediately dramatic, Iran has prompted concern by refusing to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to examine a civil nuclear reactor that critics fear could also be used to make weapons.

On Monday Iran rejected mounting international calls for it to sign an additional protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty that would allow tougher inspections.

The G8 declaration is due to be formally released at the end of the current get-together of the eight major world powers.

On Sunday, British officials said that the resolution was also likely to include a plan to crack down on the spread of low-level radioactive materials, such as x-ray machines, which if collected in sufficient quantities could be used to make a so-called "dirty bomb".

The resolution would also pledge additional help for Russia to get rid of its stocks of nuclear and chemical weapons, as well as preventing the spread of knowledge in these areas, the official said.

WAR.WIRE