While individual participating countries are expected to announce their goals to eliminate or minimize highly enriched uranium and plutonium at the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, the reduction amount is likely to reach at least hundreds of kilograms, the summit’s South Korean spokesperson said Monday.
His comments came as news reports said that the Seoul summit will lead to 400 kilograms of reduction in HEU and plutonium.
“I cannot mention a specific number because the summit has not even started yet. But I expect that hundreds kilograms of nuclear materials will be able to reduced,” said Han Choong-hee, South Korea’s spokesperson and sous-sherpa of the Seoul summit.
“I also expect that the U.S. and Russia will announce their commitments, too.”
Russia has eliminated 446 tons and plan to “blend down” 71 tons by converting them to low-enriched uranium, while the U.S. has eliminated 135 tons and plan to convert 200 tons to LEU, according to industry experts.
The difference between the Seoul Communique and the 2010 Washington Communique will be that the Seoul Communique will put together principles and specific actions in a single document, Han said.
In the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit, there were two outcome documents ― Washington Communique and the Work Plan.
“In Seoul Communique, we want to prioritize elements of tasks. Eleven areas are to be addressed as a matter of urgency. We will put some specific action plans in each task,” Han said.
The absence of leaders from Germany, France and the U.K. does not mean that European countries are not interested in the talks of nuclear security, he said.
“They could not attend the summit due to ‘unavoidable circumstances.’ They’re actually actively leading discussions on how to protect nuclear facilities from terrorist attacks and sabotage,” Han said.
“Germany is leading working-level talks on preventing dirty bombs.”
President Lee Myung-bak officially opened the Seoul summit on Monday evening by delivering an opening remark at a working dinner which started at 6:30 p.m.
He introduced newly added participating countries at the dinner and explained how much progress the states made since the 2010 Washington Nuclear Security Summit. Then, leaders spoke, one by one, until 8 p.m., Han said.
Han also noted that the South Korean government will keep exerting every effort to raise awareness of the Nuclear Security Summit among non-NSS participating countries, civic groups and scholars.
“We have carried out ‘outreach activities’ in IAEA member countries who did not participate in the Washington Nuclear Security Summit in September. By regions, Korea and the U.S. together visited Chile for Latin America, Thailand for Southeast Asia and Morocco for Africa to do presentations,” he said.
“Even after the Seoul summit is finished, we will keep reaching the international community so that the entire world could share the importance of nuclear security.”
By Kim Yoon-mi (
yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)
