Keep up vigilance, UN chief urges world leaders at Nuclear Security Summit

Nuclear weapons should be seen by states as liabilities, not assets, said Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, at the opening session of the Nuclear Security Summit 2014 in The Hague.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, below, arrive at Schiphol airport in Show more

THE HAGUE // With thousands of tonnes of weapons-usable nuclear material circulating worldwide, nuclear security remains “a pressing concern”, says the head of the UN.

And nuclear weapons should be seen by states as liabilities, not assets, said Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the UN, on Monday.

“The primary responsibility for preventing non-state actors and terrorists from acquiring the most devastating weapons known to humanity lies with national governments,” said Mr Ban.

“International cooperation and assistance are indispensable.”

He was addressing 53 heads of state at the opening session of the Nuclear Security Summit 2014 in The Hague.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, led the UAE delegation to the summit.

Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said discussions would focus on how to prevent nuclear terrorism.

“To be more precise, how to make sure that nuclear materials will not end up in the hands of terrorists and that nuclear material is used more efficiently and stored more securely,” Mr Rutte said.

“Looking back on the past two years we can see that real progress has been made. Not only have diplomatic efforts moved forward and documents been adopted, but there have also been quantifiable results.”

He gave the example of countries with more than one kilogram of usable, highly enriched uranium, of which the number had fallen substantially.

“But we cannot rest on our laurels,” Mr Rutte said. “We have to raise our ambitions again because even as we speak, there are still almost 2,000 tonnes of weapons-usable nuclear material in circulation worldwide and its security has to be our constant concern.”

He said little material was needed to make a crude nuclear bomb and the technologies to do so were spreading.

"We know that unscrupulous terrorists will not hesitate to use any weapon they can get their hands on, so the need to take steps to prevent nuclear terrorism is growing more urgent, not less."

Mr Rutte outlined three goals to focus on at and after the summit.

“We need to keep working to reduce the amount of dangerous material around the world,” he said.

“We need a stronger security culture for nuclear material. Governments, of course, bear the ultimate responsibility but the companies and research centres that work with nuclear materials are the first line of defence.”

The third goal, Mr Rutte said, was to bolster the international nuclear security infrastructure.

“The long-running debate on improving the security of nuclear material has been like running a marathon.

“Every now and then we make a dash forward and this time we are making a dash in The Hague.”

Mr Ban said the UN had an important role to play in strengthening the international framework for nuclear security and the capacity of states to detect and stop the illicit trade in nuclear and radiological material.

“As these capacities grow they will benefit, not just individual states, but international peace and security overall,” he said. “We have much to build on.”

Mr Ban said there was a “pressing need” to expand training and education for customs officials, police and border officials.

“Significant contributions to nuclear security [have come from] the vital role of Interpol, especially its rapid and secure law-enforcement communications across borders and coordinated multinational action to track individuals involved in trafficking.”

Mr Ban said the UN could contribute to achieving a world free of nuclear weapons.

“Non-proliferation and nuclear material controls are truly important. Nuclear security is jeopardised by the very existence of such weapons and this is why disarmament belongs on the global nuclear security agenda.

“A catastrophe of humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons require that it be treated as a top priority.”

Mr Ban said nuclear weapon states should close facilities once used for nuclear weapons programmes and begin dismantling and converting them.

“All nuclear material must be subject one day to binding international verifications,” he said. “I call on all states to begin the process now.

“Today’s meeting continues the very important undertaking of shining a spotlight on this fundamental issue of international safety and stability.

“Be the first mover, don’t wait for others to act. Let us work towards a safer world, a world free of nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear terrorism.”