Changes to Nuclear Security Treaty Adopted

Member nations on Friday adopted changes to the 1979 Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, Reuters reported (see GSN, July 5).

Australia, Canada, Japan, the United States and 20 European countries proposed the amendments, which would require signatories to create a competent regulatory body and adopt legislation to protect nuclear material, according to Reuters. A total of 89 countries voted in favor of the changes.

Existing rules for securing shipments were broadened to cover nuclear materials being transported or stored within a country, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

The changes would come into effect after ratification by two-thirds of the 112 member states to the original convention, which the agency said could take several years (Reuters, July 8).

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