The two-day summit of the 113-member grouping, to be inaugurated by South African president Nelson Mandela, who will take over the NAM chairmanship for the next three years, will be attended by heads of state and governments of over 60 nations, including Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The issue of terrorism has assumed heightened importance in this NAM summit in the wake of the recent missile attacks by the US on Sudan and Afghanistan after the American embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

New Delhi feels Washington is following a policy of double standards by unilaterally targetting alleged terrorist bases but not sympathising with countries like India which is facing cross-border terrorism by Pakistan.

The recent India-Pakistannuclear tests are also expected to figure in a big way with New Delhi expected to put up a strong case for immediate steps by the nuclear club for global disarmament and ask them not to practice discriminatory forms of nuclear proliferation.

South African deputy president Thabo Mbeki told reporters that NAM foreign ministers were trying to reach a consensus on the issues of terrorism and nuclear disarmament before they present their recommendation to the heads of state for final approval.

There was no difference among member countries on the need to eliminate terrorism and nuclear weapons, he said.

Conference sources said that majority of members felt that Washington's attacks on militant camps in Afghanistan cannot be equated with the strikes on Sudan.

Sudan has moved a proposal asking NAM to condemn the US missile attack on a pharmaceutical factory on August 20 saying that the action posed a serious threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and to regional stability andinternational peace and security.

The proposal urged the US to refrain from such unilateral acts and sought NAM support for its demand for full compensation for economic and material losses resulting from the attack.

On the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, Mbeki said South Africa wanted both the countries to dismantle their nuclear weapons and settle the Kashmir dispute through negotiations.

He said South Africa had destroyed its own nuclear arsenal because it felt there was no need for weapons of mass destruction.

Indian officials said the draft-summit declaration might contain references to terrorism being mentioned in a "very big way", but there are two views on it.

One line of thinking, which includes the Indian position, is against the unilateral action of the type taken by the US and instead focus on collective action against the menace of terrorism while the other line was against any collective action.

On the nuclear tests too, there are two views -- one which concentrates onnon-proliferation in any form and the other that would support a global disarmament approach advocated by new Delhi.

South Africa does not appear to be very enthused by the Indian proposal, made during the closed-door discussions at the preparatory meetings, for a world convention on nuclear weapons which received the support of a number of countries.

The hosts, instead, has submitted its own resolution on the campaign against proliferation of nuclear weapons, details of which were not known.

On economic issues, India supports a growing feeling in the third world that developed nations spoke of a free-market economy but packed restrictive conditions in their laws to the detriment of the developing countries.

Economic issues, which will be the "single important thing" that will draw NAM's attention, are also being discussed by the foreign ministers, Mbeki said.

He said there was a need for NAM to agree on a perspective on restructuring the world economy so that it had an impact on the economy ofdeveloping countries to end problems like poverty.

Mbeki said NAM had to work for evolving a proper interaction with developed countries and multilateral institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

To a question, he said NAM was still "very relevant" but the point was how it functioned.

Mbeki also spoke of NAM taking up the ongoing crisis in the democratic people's republic of Congo where foreign forces, including that of Namibia, are backing president Lauren Desire Kabila to which South Africa is opposed to.

He, however, said there was no plan for NAM to make any mediation on the issue though leaders of the region would utilise their presence in durban to try find out a resolution.

Mbeki said South Africa and Zimbabwe were for withdrawal of foreign forces from DRC and a political resolution of the dispute.

India will have an opportunity to put forward its views on the issue following a "chance" encounter between prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Kabila inWindhoek yesterday.

New Delhi is against interference by any country in the affairs of another and have said there should be a ceasefire between the government forces and the rebels in DRC so that a political settlement could be worked out.