18 November 2002
U.S., Russia, IAEA to Host "Dirty Bomb" Conference in 2003
(DOE announcement of March 2003 international conference in Vienna)
(750)
The United States, Russia and the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) will jointly sponsor a three-day, international convention on
radiological dispersal devices (RDD), or "dirty bombs," next March in
Vienna, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced.
The International Conference on Promoting the Security of Radiological
Materials will be open to all member countries of the IAEA to join
together in addressing threats posed by dirty bombs, DOE said.
"Safeguarding weapons usable material should be the highest priority
for the IAEA and its member countries," Abraham said. "However, the
organization also needs to seek ways to formally expand its scope to
deal with the dangers posed by lower grade nuclear materials. Working
with Director General El Baradei and our counterparts in Russia, this
conference is a first step to expanding those efforts."
Following is the DOE announcement:
(begin text)
U.S. Department of Energy
November 13, 2002
ENERGY SECRETARY ABRAHAM: U.S., RUSSIA & INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY
AGENCY TO HOST MARCH 2003 INTERNATIONAL "DIRTY BOMB" CONFERENCE IN
VIENNA
-- "International Conference on Promoting the Security of Radiological
Materials" To Expand World Framework For Tackling the Problems Posed
by "Dirty Bombs"
Washington, D.C. - Following bilateral meetings to discuss joint
cooperation between DOE and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
on continuing cooperation on nuclear nonproliferation efforts, U.S.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Mohamed El Baradei, Director
General of the IAEA, today announced that the United States, Russia
and IAEA will jointly sponsor a three-day, international convention on
radiological dispersal devices (RDD), or "dirty bombs," in March 2003
in Vienna.
Abraham proposed the conference two-months ago while attending the
IAEA's 46th General Conference in Vienna. The International Conference
on Promoting the Security of Radiological Materials will be open to
all member countries of the IAEA to join together in addressing
threats posed by dirty bombs.
Abraham said addressing the new and present threats posed by 'dirty
bombs' and their potential use for terror is vital to America's
homeland security and international security.
"The detailed instructions on how to make dirty bombs found in Al
Qaeda's caves make horrifyingly clear our need to have a firm plan to
reduce the vulnerability of dangerous radiological materials to
acquisition by those seeking to use them as weapons," Abraham said.
"The primary purpose of this international conference is to address
the new and present dangers posed to our communities and further
develop the international framework for dealing with the specific
threat posed by dirty bombs," Abraham said.
Topics of discussion for the conference will likely cover four major
themes: 1) recovering and securing high-risk, poorly controlled
radioactive sources; 2) strengthening long-term regulatory control of
radiological materials; 3) interdicting illicit trafficking/border
controls; and 4) RDD scenarios, possible consequences, mitigation
strategies, and emergency response.
Radiological Dispersal Devices, or dirty bombs, are much simpler to
make and use than nuclear weapons.
"Unlike nuclear weapons, which require scarce, highly enriched uranium
and plutonium for their destructive capabilities, dirty bombs can be
made using many different types of dangerous radiological material,"
Secretary Abraham said. "While dirty bombs are not comparable to
nuclear weapons in destructiveness, they are far easier to assemble
and employ."
Materials for use in "dirty bombs" exist in many usable forms from
medical isotopes to other radiography sources. The comparative ease to
which these types of materials are available and can be put to use in
a dirty bomb presents a special challenge to international
nonproliferation efforts.
The international conference will build on several earlier initiatives
launched by Abraham and his counterparts in Russia. In May 2002,
Abraham and Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Aleksandr Rumyantesev
agreed to work cooperatively to secure radioactive sources in Russia.
Recently, news coverage ("Hunting a Deadly Soviet Legacy," by Joby
Warrick, Washington Post, Monday, November 11, 2002) outlined those
joint efforts with Russia and the IAEA to halt the proliferation of
such radiological materials.
Earlier this year, in June, the U.S., Russia, and the IAEA established
a tripartite working group on "Securing and Managing Radioactive
Sources." This working group is developing a coordinated and proactive
strategy to locate, recover, secure, and recycle orphan (radiological)
sources through the Former Soviet Union.
"Safeguarding weapons usable material should be the highest priority
for the IAEA and its member countries," Abraham said. "However, the
organization also needs to seek ways to formally expand its scope to
deal with the dangers posed by lower grade nuclear materials. Working
with Director General El Baradei and our counterparts in Russia, this
conference is a first step to expanding those efforts."
Media Contact:
Jeanne Lopatto or Joe Davis 202-586-4940
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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