Gleb Korepanov: Threats were added to terrorists

Gleb Korepanov

In Washington, a two -day nuclear security summit ended with the participation of more than 50 countries. According to its results, a communique was adopted, according to which global security is threatened by the possibility of falling into the hands of terrorists of weapons of mass destruction - nuclear, chemical and biological. Russia refused to participate in the summit under the pretext of the “deficit of interaction” with Washington on this issue, but Barack Obama paid considerable attention to contradictions in relations with Moscow, including on the issue of nuclear disarmament.

The fourth international nuclear security summit was the last in this format. Work on the implementation and coordination of the actions of the international community in the field of nuclear security is entrusted to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The achievements of the summit will be developed by experts of the created contact group, which will include representatives of about 40 countries and organizations.

According to the results of a two -day meeting, a communique was published in which an increase in the threat of nuclear terrorism was noted. This statement sounded against the background of information that the militants of the “Islamic state” prohibited in Russia are working on the creation of the so -called “dirty bomb”. As Barack Obama noted, if plutonium the size of an apple falls into the hands of “madmen”, this can lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of people.

Delegates confirmed the commitment to the fight against the spread of nuclear weapons and its components. The fact that it is necessary to pay more attention to the protection of nuclear and other radioactive materials from entering the "strangers" hands, they were unanimous. The US President noted that thanks to the efforts of the international community, no extremist group has so far has a mass destruction weapon. To prevent the growing threat of a nuclear attack by terrorists, he proposed to improve the exchange of operational information between special services, as well as strengthen security measures at nuclear facilities. About two thousand tons of nuclear materials are stored at military and civilian facilities around the world, and not all of them are quite protected.

“Without a doubt, if these madmen someday get a nuclear bomb or nuclear materials, they most likely use them to kill as many innocent people as possible. This would be a humanitarian, political, economic and environmental disaster with global consequences for whole decades. It would have changed our world, ”Obama said.

The US President recalled that in Syria and Iraq, IS has already used chemical weapons, and supporters of the organization are actively trying to find access to nuclear facilities. During the investigation of terrorist attacks in Belgium, it became known that terrorists conducted video surveillance of the head of the Belgian nuclear research program, and on March 24, a security officer of the Tiange nuclear power plant was killed. Unknown people abducted his pass.

The study of the Washington initiative to reduce the nuclear threat (Nuclear Threat Initiative) confirmed that there were serious gaps in protecting nuclear materials. This applies to both weapons and medical and industrial radioactive substances that can be used to create a “dirty bomb”. According to the IAEA, every year in the world there are about 100 cases of the disappearance of a radioactive substance.

The Russian delegation did not come to Washington - this was explained by the “deficit of interaction” during the preparation of the summit, and the lack of “breakthrough decisions” requiring the mandatory presence of the highest leadership of states. In Washington, it is believed that from Moscow this is an understandable political step that reflects disagreements on other issues not related to nuclear security.

Russia and the United States have 90% of all nuclear weapons in the world. On the first day of the Obama summit, Moscow called for negotiations to reduce nuclear weapons, and at a press conference closing the summit, the head of the White House said that Vladimir Putin is building up military power by reducing the costs of the country's economic development and this is slowing down the process of reducing nuclear potential. “Good news” is that “opportunities to achieve progress are preserved,” Obama added.

“The great success that until now the terrorists in terms of using weapons of mass destruction did nothing serious. At the same time, it is obvious that interest in this is growing on their part. Their capabilities are growing. In the current conditions, the solution to this problem is one of the key topics where Russia and the countries of the West, despite the political situation, could cooperate, ”the director of the Center for Energy and Security, Anton Clopkov, who took part in the conference of the scientists on the eve of the summit, told Kommersant.

On the other hand, according to Klopkov, the solution of this issue should be discussed not at conferences, but in the “framework of universal mechanisms”. So far, the parties continue to implement the Treaty on the reduction of offensive weapons (START-3). According to its conditions, until 2017, Russia and the United States should reduce nuclear arsenals to equal credit levels: 700 detailed intercontinental missiles and strategic bombers, as well as 1550 nuclear ammunitions. It is expected that by 2018 the number of expanded American and Russian nuclear warheads will reach the lowest level since the 1950s.

See also: Russia found a real threat of nuclear war in Korea Poroshenko began a nuclear security summit with lies Anna Sakoyan a nuclear summit: the eloquent absence of Russia Obama proposed to Russia negotiations on the reduction of nuclear weapons of Peskov explained the refusal of the Russian Federation to participate in the nuclear security summit