Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Summit highlights the reality that the threat of nuclear destruction hasn't gone away

As a two-day Nuclear Security Summit of forty-seven states hosted by US President Barack Obama draws to a close, the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has pointed out that its greatest significance lies in its acknowledgement of the serious threat still posed by nuclear weapons. The summit has seen participants affirm non-binding commitments to cooperate in securing the world's weapons grade nuclear materials to prevent such materials falling into terrorist hands.

"The real significance of this summit lies not in vague commitments, but in the high-profile acknowledgement that the possibility of nuclear attacks still constitutes a major threat in today's world, two decades after the end of the Cold War," said Dr David Hutchinson Edgar, chairperson of Irish CND. "We welcome small steps taken at this summit, such as the agreement by the US and Russia to decommission thirty-four tonnes of plutonium, the commitment by Ukraine to get rid of its highly-enriched uranium stocks, and the undertaking by Russia to shut its Cold War era plutonium production plant in Siberia.

"Nevertheless, measures such as these cannot guarantee future security. The only thing that will achieve security from the possibility of a nuclear attack is nuclear disarmament by all states possessing nuclear weapons, and the destruction of weapons grade materials.

"This summit's acknowledgement by world leaders of the reality of the nuclear threat today must serve as a timely reminder both to governments and to the peoples of the world of the necessity of serious and significant engagement with the disarmament process."