March 17, 2014

SUMMIT COMMUNIQUE INCLUDES LOFTY GOALS, FEW CONCRETE DETAILS

By ExchangeMonitor

World leaders assembled for the second Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul agreed that more work was needed to prevent nuclear terrorism, according to a lofty communiqué agreed to yesterday by officials at the gathering that was noticeably lacking in details. According to the broad communiqué, countries attending the meeting restated a goal to secure vulnerable nuclear material around the world by 2013, encouraging countries “in a position to do so” to minimize the use of highly enriched uranium, secure radioactive sources, and strengthen nuclear security practices and nuclear forensics capabilities. “Nuclear terrorism continues to be one of the most challenging threats to international security,” the communiqué said. “Defeating this threat requires strong national measures and international cooperation given its potential global political, economic, social, and psychological consequences.”

President Barack Obama offered his support for the summit’s agenda in a speech Tuesday. “I think we all understand that no one nation can do this alone,” Obama said. “This is one of those challenges in our interconnected world that can only be met when we work as an international community. And what we did in Washington, what we’re now doing in Korea, becomes part of a larger global architecture designed to reduce the dangers of nuclear weapons and nuclear terrorism, but also allows us then to more safely and effectively pursue peaceful uses of nuclear energy.” It was also announced that the next summit will be held in The Netherlands in 2014.

Meanwhile, a group of nuclear security experts called for stronger action to prevent nuclear terrorism after the summit wrapped up yesterday. “Several key steps should be taken prior to the next Nuclear Security Summit in the Netherlands in 2014. States should institutionalize binding, comprehensive standards for security that emphasize performance and accountability,” Ken Luongo, co-chair of the Fissile Materials Working Group said in a statement yesterday. He added, “The current nuclear material security regime is a patchwork of unaccountable voluntary arrangements that are inconsistent across borders. This system is not commensurate with either the risk or consequences of nuclear terrorism.” Results of this year’s summit included pledges from several countries to eliminate their stocks of fissile materials, an agreement between the United States and several European countries to forgo using highly enriched uranium to produce medical isotopes and a 2014 target for ratifying an amendment to the Convention for the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials. But members of the FMWG called these achievements “modest” and questioned whether the Administration would be able to gain the support of Congress to meet its goals.

Comments are closed.