At the Nuclear Security Summit which ended in Washington yesterday, apart from India’s initiative to set up Global Centre of Nuclear Energy partnership, 24 other countries including China, Japan and Canada also came out with specific action plans. Realising that action and not mere words would do to achieve ambitious target of securing all vulnerable nuclear material in four years time India was joined by several other countries in coming out with concrete action plans. While Chile announced that it is removing all of the 18 kilo grams of highly enriched uranium Canada said it is returning a large amount of spent highly-enriched uranium fuel from its medical isotope production reactor to the US. Belgium announced a contribution of 300,000 dollars to IAEA's Nuclear Security Fund. France, Armenia and Australia and Argentina announced their plans either to ratify the international convention on suppression of Acts of nuclear terrorism or conventions on physical protection of nuclear material. Armenia also announced that it will pass the new export control law on nuclear material. China said it would establish a nuclear security Centre of Excellence, Japan which has faced the disastrous consequence of nuclear bomb announced the launching of an integrated regional support centre; research and development on detection and funding a World Institute of Nuclear Security best practices conference as well nuclear security fund. While the actions plans show the commitment of these nations , it also at the same time highlights how alive the comity of nations today is to the real threat that the world faces from nuclear material falling in wrong hands.
News On AIR | April 15, 2010 8:45 AM
24 countries support India's initiative on energy partnership at Nuclear Summit