WASHINGTON, D.C. –Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) today released a statement at the conclusion of the historic Nuclear Security Summit:
“The Obama Administration is demonstrating what can be accomplished when the United States charts a course, defines the agenda, and leads the way. President Obama saw the need to examine the full range of nuclear dangers facing our country and the world. The leaders who have come here this week – especially the leaders of Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Ukraine – deserve the world’s praise for the concrete steps taken to mitigate these dangers.
“Nuclear proliferation is the greatest security threat facing us today. But today’s nuclear dangers come in many forms. We must tackle all those threats, whether that means locking up weapons-usable nuclear materials that terrorists could turn into a nuclear nightmare, dealing with states that abuse their international standing to gain nuclear weapons capabilities, or reducing nuclear arsenals to the lowest levels needed to protect ourselves and our allies. Failure on any of these fronts could lead to catastrophe.
“In confronting nuclear peril, it is tempting to think we can just go it alone. But that path leads to delusion, not security. If we want other countries to address proliferation, the United States must lead, but also listen to their needs and security concerns. That is what President Obama has done this week.”
Updated to add earlier
statement:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) released the following statement today about the historic two-day nuclear security summit:
“The leaders of 47 nations are gathering in Washington this week to discuss the critical matter of how to keep nuclear weapons materials out of the hands of terrorists. The objective is to develop the most effective means of securing nuclear stockpiles worldwide within the next three years, a goal that I first set out in 2004 on an issue George Bush and I agreed was the biggest threat to our security.
“Combating nuclear terrorism requires that we take every step possible and I hope President Obama’s leadership brings new momentum to this vital mission. There is also some unfinished business in Congress that can help fill the gaps in efforts to combat international terrorism.
“In 2008, the Senate approved treaties calling for countries to enact appropriate legal frameworks to criminalize offenses related to nuclear terrorism and to make it easier to investigate and prosecute would-be nuclear terrorists. But Congress still needs to enact implementing legislation before the United States can ratify these treaties.
“I intend to work with the administration and my colleagues to make sure that such legislation is enacted as quickly as possible. Improving our ability to investigate and prosecute people who would undertake the most heinous of crimes is another critical step in our campaign to make the world safer from nuclear weapons.
“The specific measures that we expect to address are the Nuclear Terrorism Convention, and the counter-terrorism amendments and protocols related to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and the Convention concerning Safety of Maritime Navigation. These are important tools that will strengthen international cooperation against the threat of nuclear terrorism.”
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
