LONDON Ñ The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in its latest report that the arms race in the Middle East and Asia have led to a rise in world military expenditures. The spending has been on the rise since 1998, when it was at the lowest level of the post-Cold War period.

The United States is expected to be the leading beneficiary of Middle East instability. a new report says.

The report said Middle East arms purchases are also expected to revive the sagging arms market and improve U.S. exports. Total world military expenditure in 2000 amounted to about $798 billion, an increase of 2.3 percent.

The report said Israel and Egypt have ordered enough weapons from the United States to enable American defense contractors to emerge from the sales slump last year.

"The strong supplier position of the USA is complemented by its attempts to influence the arms export behaviour of other countries in support of US policies," the report said. "In 2000 the main countries which the USA tried to influence were Australia, Israel and the UK."

"Attempts to sustain or increase regional stability through arms supplies, illustrated by countries in Asia and the Middle East, seem unlikely to be successful in the long term," the Sipri report said. "In addition, whether under international arms embargoes Ñ including mandatory UN embargoes Ñ or not, recipients in conflict regions receive supplies of major conventional weapons."

The report cited Israel and Turkey as two of the 15 leading arms recipients during the period of 1996 to 2000. Both countries were involved in conflict last year.

The Swedish institute said Israel would continue to be engaged in conflict with the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the report said, would not be able to fulfill Palestinian demands.

"He [Sharon] is offering the Palestinians much less than Ehud Barak, whose proposals they turned down," the report said. "The Palestinian position has hardened as a result of the bloodshed of recent months, and after SharonÕs victory the Palestinian leadership on the ground called for an escalation of the intifada [uprising]. As for the longer term, there is widespread recognition that there is no alternative to a peace process in the Middle East."

The report, citing the weakening of international sanctions, also expressed skepticism over efforts to end Iraq's nonconventional programs.

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