The foreign ministers of the five - the world's only official nuclear states - are expected to refuse this status to India and Pakistan.

A draft statement on the issue has been drawn up for Thursday's meeting in Geneva, which will aim to find ways to avoid a nuclear arms race between the two countries.

The United States State Department spokesman, James Rubin, said Washington realised that neither country had responded to the threat of sanctions.

The BBC diplomatic correspondent says the big powers want to convince the world that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is still valid.

The long term aim is to pull both countries into nuclear control regimes.

The American Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, has said the session will also discuss ways for the international community to try to help India and Pakistan settle their differences on Kashmir.

President Clinton is said to have new ideas on the situation for discussion in Geneva.

The United States is strongly resisting any actions which would legitimise the nuclear tests carried out by the two countries.

Already there are signs that France is willing to offer India and Pakistan more in the way of concessions than Washington is willing to accept, according to the BBC correspondent.