ElBaradei Urges Adoption of Nuclear Terror Amendment

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog yesterday urged countries to ratify a safeguards amendment to a  nuclear terrorism prevention treaty, the U.N. News Service reported (see GSN, July 7).

“Out of 128 states parties, only 11 so far have accepted the amendment,” International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohamed ElBaradei said of the amendment that would require strengthened nuclear materials protection by nations that have joined the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.

“I would urge all states parties to do so,” he said at the agency’s general conference in Vienna.

“With the renewed interest in nuclear power generation, comparable attention and commitment must be given to ensuring the nuclear safety and security infrastructure that must go with it,” ElBaradei added.

ElBaradei said that while IAEA measures have improved nuclear security, “much remains to be done in shaping the nuclear security framework, in building up-to-date security systems and in dealing with the legacy of past lax security.”

“This is not a problem that can be solved overnight; it takes time and resources to achieve a sustainable, internationally acceptable level of nuclear security,” he said (U.N. News Service, Sept. 17).

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