Gorbachev Calls for ''New World Order''

Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader who helped end the Cold War at President Ronald Reagan's prodding, is calling for a "new world order" based on strong adherence to international law.

Gorbachev made the comments Tuesday in a speech to the 91st annual Insurance Leadership Forum -- the same conference at which Ambassador L. Paul Bremer made his widely reported remarks about troop levels being too low in Iraq.

In his speech, Gorbachev reportedly said the development of nuclear weapons in other nations threatens to undermine the disarmament progress made by the U.S. and Russia.

In a press release, the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers noted that Gorbachev discussed the nuclear arms race at the Greenbrier in West Virginia -- "the same location where a Cold War-era bunker was built to protect members of Congress in the event of a nuclear attack." That bunker is now a tourist attraction at the resort.

According to the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers, Gorbachev said the new world order he advocates should adhere to international law, rely heavily on the United Nations and not seek to impose the views of one country or a group of countries on others.

Gorbachev reportedly said the new world order would be more stable, more just and more humane. It supposedly would recognize the cultural and ethnic diversity in the world as well as environmental challenges.

"World order does not mean world government," Gorbachev was quoted as saying. "Nor can you build a new world order on the basis of preemptive strikes."

Gorbachev also said leaders of industrial nations should not reject those who protest globalization: Any attempt at building the new world order will not succeed "if we ignore poverty in the world," Gorbachev was quoted as saying.

On the topic of nuclear disarmament, Gorbachev noted that "today nations again are perfecting nuclear weapons.

"They are trying to make them more mobile, they are trying to make them more penetrating, they are trying to make nuclear weapons a factor in the war. They are discussing the possibility of giving nuclear weapons to terrorist groups," Gorbachev was quoted as saying.

"We have just ended a nuclear arms race and we are again beginning to talk about this, and this is a problem that could be very difficult to solve."

He said if terrorists do get hold of WMD, "then our current problems will seem tiny by comparison." He also called for countries to secure the nuclear weapons stockpiles and move toward eliminating them.