New York  - UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon demanded Thursday that the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty be implemented as quickly as possible.

At the opening of a two day conference of around 100 foreign minsters in New York, Ban called for all of the nine states which had not yet ratified the treaty to begin negotiations immediately.

Ban said the time had come for countries to show their own leadership, rather than waiting for the leadership of others.

The nine states which have not yet ratified the treaty include the United States, Iran, Israel, and North Korea. North Korea's nuclear tests in May showed how important the treaty was, said Ban.

The foreign ministers then passed a resolution calling for an immediate stop to all nuclear testing pending adoption of the treaty by all countries.

The UN Security Council also intends to meet late Thursday morning to discuss steps towards nuclear disarmament.  dpa