The U.S. Wants a Pact against Nuclear Terrorism

The international event lost its impact when the Israeli prime minister bowed out for fear of an “ambush.”

When Barack Obama announced the convention of the Nuclear Security Summit that starts today in Washington, his team at the National Security Council was prepared to host the largest conference in the United States since the meeting in 1945 that resulted in the formation of the United Nations.

It was not planned for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel his attendance at the last minute due to fears of an ambush by Turkey and Egypt. Nor was the tension that arose with China over arms sales to Taiwan and the meeting with the Dalai Lama anticipated. Nevertheless, this meeting has become a matter of personal prestige for Obama, who, 12 months ago, set the ambitious goal of collecting all enriched uranium within four years. Even so, Obama intends to hold the summit, which brings together 47 international leaders, including heads of state and government, as well as senior representatives of the U.N., the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency both today and tomorrow.

In a round of interviews on U.S. television yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton downplayed the absence of the Jewish prime minister and stressed the nuclear threats the international community is facing. From the National Security Council, Ben Rhodes told reporters that this summit is dedicated to safety and to the threat of nuclear terrorism. It is fundamental to see the serious nature of this kind of terrorism. Al-Qaida aims to build a nuclear weapon. It is important to have collective action in the international community to secure vulnerable materials, he said. The U.S. also has its eyes on Iran and North Korea, which were absent from the summit. Obama had already warned about this several days ago, when he envisioned new sanctions on Iran by the United Nations Security Council. Just yesterday, Tehran denounced the U.S. nuclear policy.

In addition to the slip-up with Israel, which always avoids addressing the question of its alleged nuclear arsenal, and China, which is fundamental to pressuring Iran due to its trade relations, Obama will face the challenge of initiating at least a minimum consensus within a day and a half. Many nations are reluctant to have foreign interference in its nuclear programs; among them are China, Russia and India. Indeed, Obama met yesterday morning with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev; South Africa, Jacob Zuma; India, Manmohan Singh; and Pakistan, Yousaf Raza Gilani. The latter two nations are not signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but good relations are crucial for the issue of Afghanistan. Obama also held a courtesy telephone conversation with President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan. Today, the American will open the conference session and hold summit meetings afterward with King Abdullah of Jordan, Prime Minister Mohamed Najib Abdul Razak of Malaysia, President Serzh Sargsian of Armenia and President Hu Jintao of China.