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2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit: "With the People"
***I wish to conclude by emphasising what Korea is focusing on with 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit: "With the People." Throughout the preparation process, the Korean government has emphasised the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit as one to be carried out "with the people. " This goal will define our efforts in the days ahead, as we work to educate the public regarding nuclear security and its importance and relation to our daily lives.***
THE 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit will be held in Seoul on March 26-27, 2012. It is expected to be the largest summit in the security field that discusses international cooperative measures to protect nuclear materials and facilities from
terrorist groups, with participation from 40 heads of states. I am pleased to share with the people of Bangladesh what the background, basic objectives, main issues to be discussed and expected outcome of 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit are.
Let me first elaborate on the background of the "2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit." It started with President Obama's speech in Prague
in 2009 where he emphasised that nuclear terrorism was a serious threat to international security, and expressed his will to lead global efforts to protect nuclear materials as part of his plan to realise his vision of a "world free of nuclear weapons." Following upon President Obama's speech, the first Nuclear Security Summit, the largest international meeting relating to the nuclear issue, was held in Washington in April 2010. The leaders discussed plans to strengthen nuclear security by preventing the misuse of nuclear materials by non-state actors.
Against this back-drop, the Republic of Korea will host the second Nuclear Security Summit on March 26-27, 2012. Today, radioactive materials that can be utilised to make as
many as 130,000
nuclear weapons are scattered around the globe. The objective of the Nuclear Security Summit is to prevent such nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorist groups. Moreover, it is aiming at ultimately making a world without nuclear weapons by reducing the amount of nuclear materials around the world to a minimum level and tightening control over them.
As the largest high-level forum in the security sector and the largest international summit
hosted by Korea, this year's summit will be attended by 40 heads of states and four chiefs of international organisations. The participating states represent 80% of the global population as well as 90% of the world's GDP. President Barack Obama of the United States, President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are expected to attend, along with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano, and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.
Now, what are the main issues to be discussed at the summit? The most important outcome of the 2010 summit was the shared recognition among heads of state of the urgency and seriousness of the threat of nuclear terrorism, and the
of nuclear safety measures will be on the agenda as well.
With these objectives in mind, Seoul Communique is expected to be adopted at the end of the summit. As the safe management of nuclear materials is the most important concrete measure for reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism, the Seoul Communique will first outline the goal of minimising stocks and use of highly enriched uranium and plutonium. Other issues addressed will include the nexus between nuclear security and nuclear safety, strengthening of international cooperation to prevent illicit trafficking, sharing of advanced technology with developing countries, and a call for more countries to commit to international agreements and initiatives dealing with nuclear security.
The Seoul Communique and the measures it outlines comprise a declaration of political com-
mitment, not a legally binding mandate. Nonetheless, as an agreement signed and adopted at the head-of-state level, the implementation of its measures will be very important. In Washington in 2010, some 30 states publicly pledged their commitment to carry out specific measures for improving nuclear security. Today, most of these states have fulfilled their commitment and are actually in the process of introducing new measures.
I wish to conclude by emphasising what Korea is focusing on with 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit: "With the People." Throughout the preparation process, the Korean government has emphasised the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit as one to be carried out "with the people." This goal will define our efforts in the
subsequent rallying of political commitment to addressing the issue. Seoul will provide a setting for the discussion of concrete measures for realising the goals outlined in Washington, namely, combating the threat of nuclear terrorism, protecting nuclear materials and related facilities, and preventing illicit trafficking of nuclear materials. With heightened international interest in nuclear safety since the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in March 2011, expansion
days ahead, as we work to educate the public regarding nuclear security and its importance and relation to our daily lives. Continuing in the success of the 2010 G20 Summit, as well as last year's High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, we will work together with participating states to make this a productive and substantive event.
The writer is Ambassador of the Republic of Korea. This article is exclusive to The Daily Star.