Conference on fighting nuclear terrorism ends in Morocco

A declaration of principle to "fight nuclear terrorism" was agreed on late Monday at the close of a conference in the Moroccan capital Rabat, calling for concerted international efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism.

The declaration recognized the importance of keeping track of nuclear substances, ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities, and combating the trafficking of nuclear materials.

But it required the close cooperation and coordination from the international communities to keep nuclear weapons beyond the reach of terrorists, it said.

The document said that membership of the initiative was open to other countries in a bid to make the group a vast alliance, and a shield against the threat of nuclear terrorism.

Representatives from 12 countries, including five major nuclear powers, gathered here to implement the "Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism" launched in July, when U.S. President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg.

Morocco, along with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), attended the two-day meeting as an observer and became the 13th member of the group, which includes Russia, Britain, China, the United States, France, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan and Turkey.

Source: Xinhua