Singapore and the Philippines pressured North Korea to drop its nuclear weapons program at a summit today, although Pyongyang appeared to have escaped censure by the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) as a whole.

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo called o­n North Korea to "comply with its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT)," adding that she and her countrymen "earnestly pray that war will be avoided."

Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong warned Pyongyang's decision to withdraw from the key nuclear arms treaty "has serious repercussions o­n the international non-proliferation regime and hence world peace."

In an address to the summit of the 116-nation NAM, Goh said if North Korea resumes missile tests "this could destabilise the strategic balance in Asia and trigger a regional arms race."

The remarks by the Philippine and Singapore leaders came shortly after negotiators backed down from an attempt to pressure fellow-member North Korea to reverse its decision to quit the NPT, which seeks to limit possession of nuclear weapons to the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain.

A resolution to be presented at the summit says the leaders simply "noted the withdrawal of the DPRK (North Korea) from the NPT," according to a final draft obtained by AFP .