Ministers of the rich nations club gathered at the Whistler ski resort in western Canada, entered their final session on non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament, before a planned final press conference.

They reviewed their joint efforts to fight terrorism since the September 11 attacks on Wednesday, but the most significant discussion on the issue was expected to come in the session on non-proliferation.

Halting the spread of weapons of mass destruction is a key US policy goal, especially since President George W. Bush dubbed Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an "axis of evil" which he said could offer such arms to terrorists.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said he would raise an initiative known as "10 plus 10 over 10" which would see Washington put up 10 billion dollars, matched by 10 billion from the G8 over 10 years to secure radiological materials in Russia.

There is mounting concern that radioactive substances that could be used to manufacture dirty bombs, or even nuclear devices, are held under lax security in post-Soviet Russia.

The issue was lent extra relevance on Monday after US officials said they had arrested US citizen Abdullah al-Muhajir, an al-Qaeda operative allegedly planning to detonate a radioactive "dirty" bomb in the United States.

Experts from G8 members are meeting in Whistler from Thursday to expand on the idea, among them US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control John Bolton, a senior US official said.

Ironically the G8 ministers, including Powell and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, are discussing arms control on the very day that the United States withdraws from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

President George W. Bush gave notice in December, despite Russian objections, that the United States would unilaterally withdraw from the treaty signed in 1972 with the now-defunct Soviet Union.

The decision was made to permit the United States to conduct tests in line with its plans for a missile defense shield.

Ministers are also expected to give details of their consultations over dinner on Wednesday on the Middle East.

Participants in the meeting declined to speak to reporters when it broke up, but diplomats told AFP that many G8 partners were anxious to hear Bush's promised elucidation of his policy towards the region.

Ministers, setting the agenda for the G8 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, later this month, on Wednesday signalled to Pakistan and India that there would be no let up in the pace of an international peace drive.

And they pledged to further tighten their joint campaign against terrorism, launched in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

G8 host, Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham, said he hoped the two-day meeting would express strong support for a Middle East conference, two days after Bush dampened hopes it could take place soon.

Bush was asked about the conference during an appearance in which he expressed strong support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday.

"The conditions aren't even there yet. That's because no one has confidence in the emerging Palestinian government," Bush said.

Some European officials have privately expressed concern over Bush's marginalisation of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and a senior European diplomat said here that G8 members were awaiting for the outcome of a debate in Washington circles over the future path of Middle East policy.

Security was tight in and around the luxury hotel hosting the talks but anti globalisation protests turned out to be subdued.

The G8 includes Canada, the United States, Russia, Britain, Italy, France, Germany and Japan.

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