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A new U.S.-led Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, a coalition of countries aimed at preventing nuclear materials from North Korea and Iran from falling into the wrong hands, holds its inaugural two-day meeting in Rabat, Morocco from Monday. The meeting, attended for the U.S. by Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph, is expected to endorse a statement of principles and regulations aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism. Russia, China, Japan and eight other countries have signed up.
Along with the Proliferation Security Initiative launched in June 2003, the new initiative is another tool to pressure Iran and North Korea, with U.S. officials saying it will use the basic operating principles of the PSI. South Korea is not joining. The initiative aims to come up with more effective regulations to safeguard radioactive and nuclear materials and related safety guidelines and discuss how to protect civilian nuclear facilities which are vulnerable to terrorist attacks. In short, it is to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorists, while the PSI is to prevent such materials from being transferred to certain countries. The U.S. says it fears terrorist organizations could obtain nuclear materials to attack it.
The other members are the U.K., France, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Five of them ? the U.S., the U.K., France, Australia and Italy -- plus Bahrain are to carry out PSI-related maritime exercises in the Persian Gulf on Monday. The British vessels will pretend to carry dangerous weapons, and the other nations will stop and search them. It is the first time PSI exercises are carried out in the Gulf, pointedly under Iran’s nose, with an Arab country participating.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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