Washington: The consolidation of
strong international mechanisms is vital to combat nuclear terrorism, senior
United Nations officials stressed on Friday, warning that countries must urgently
act to tackle one of today's most serious global threats.
Secretary-General
Ban-ki Moon told a high-level meeting on countering nuclear terrorism, held on
the margins of the 67th session of the General Assembly that "the prospect
of terrorists acquiring nuclear materials is one of the most unnerving threats
imaginable."
Ban said "all our
tools" must be used to contain "this nuclear genie" and not
allow "these arms to proliferate to non-State actors or
terrorists."
The Secretary-General
noted that countries have already taken steps to address this threat, namely
through the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear
Terrorism and Security Council resolution 1540.
The Director General
of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, said
international cooperation is vital, and reiterated the IAEA's readiness to help
countries improve nuclear safety and its role in coordinating international
efforts on nuclear security.
Amano said
"terrorists will exploit the weakest link in any security system" and
added "the challenge is global, so the response must be global."
The IAEA Director
General encouraged countries to work with the IAEA to establish networks of
nuclear security support centres and improve nuclear security. In addition, he
urged countries to take part in the International Conference on Nuclear
Security, which will take place in Vienna next July.
Marty M. Natalegawa,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, which recently ratified the nuclear
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) told the meeting that "the ultimate
guarantee against the misuse of nuclear energy is actually the realization of a
nuclear weapon free world," adding that "without nuclear weapons
there can be no nuclear terrorism."
At a panel discussion
on the same issue, the Foreign Minister of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, said
"measures and initiatives aimed at strengthening nuclear safety and
nuclear security must not be used as a pretext or leverage to violate, deny or
restrict the inalienable right of developing countries to develop, research,
production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without
discrimination."
The International
Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, which has been
ratified by 82 States, enhances international cooperation to prevent nuclear
terrorism and to prosecute and punish perpetrators of such acts. Resolution
1540 imposes binding obligations on all States to establish controls preventing
the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and their means
of delivery.