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Nuclear Security Summit clouded by Belgium terrorism news

Belgium Attacks Loom Over Final Nuclear Security Summit  Aaron Mehta, Defense News March 27, 2016 WASHINGTON — When President Barack Obama kicks off the fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington on Thursday, he will tell delegations from 51 nations, plus major groups such as the European Union and United Nations, about successes made in ensuring nuclear material does not fall into the hands of terrorists.

It’s a timely message in the wake last Tuesday’s attacks in Belgium, which have been claimed by the Islamic State group, commonly known as ISIS or ISIL. But some in the nonproliferation community are concerned that when the summit shuts down at the end of the week, the issue of securing fissile material will cease to be a prime focus for the nations.

Speaking hours after the attacks, Rose Gottemoeller, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, laid out the stakes clearly: “Nothing I can say would highlight [the summit’s message], sadly, better than this tragic attack in Brussels this morning. Thank god those terrorists do not have their hands on nuclear materials.”…….http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/policy-budget/2016/03/27/belgium-terrorism-attakcs-nuclear-security-summit-isis/82231000/

March 28, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety