By DPA,
Washington : The head of the UN nuclear watchdog has welcomed the commitment in Washington of world leaders to secure nuclear materials, and said his agency was ready to help.
During a summit hosted by US President Barack Obama Tuesday, leaders and top officials from more than 40 countries agreed to take steps to better secure dangerous nuclear material to prevent it from being used in terrorist attacks.
“It was a great success that that commitment was expressed, and our role as the IAEA was highly appreciated and recognized,” International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano told reporters.
He stressed that it was up to individual governments, not international bodies, to ensure that their nuclear stockpiles are secure, but said the IAEA stands ready to offer assistance and training if asked.
He pointed as an example to efforts to train security at the Beijing Olympics and at the upcoming World Cup in South Africa.
Leaders did not make a firm commitment to boosting funding to the agency.
“I welcome as much money as possible,” Amano said, when asked how much money the IAEA would need to boost its nuclear security efforts. “We have done a lot, but we can do more with further support from member states.”
The Vienna-based agency tracks illicit trafficking in nuclear materials and says 150 such incidents are reported each year.
“Throughout the world, too much nuclear and radioactive material is not properly secured,” Amano told the summit earlier Tuesday. “Terrorists have become bolder and are not afraid of using weapons of mass destruction.”
The 47 countries attending the largest summit hosted by a US president in more than six decades promised to cooperate in securing nuclear stockpiles within four years and to curtail proliferation.
They agreed to strengthen existing international safeguards for nuclear material and to give a greater role in the effort to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear monitoring body.