President Jacob Zuma will attend a Nuclear Security Summit to be held in Washington DC in the United States on 12 to 13 April 2010. President Jacob Zuma will lead a delegation which includes Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of Energy Dipuo Peters, Minister of State Security Siyabonga Cwele and senior government officials.
The summit has been convened by United States (US) President Barack Obama in the context of his policy announcement on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. This policy announcement, made in a statement he delivered on 5 April 2009 in Prague, identified nuclear terrorism as the “most immediate and extreme threat to global security”.
The goals of the Nuclear Security Summit, to which 43 countries have been invited, are to reach a common understanding of the threat posed by nuclear terrorism and to agree to effective measures to secure nuclear material and to prevent nuclear smuggling and terrorism. The summit is expected to adopt a communiqué and work plan.
South Africa welcomes the summit as an opportunity for countries to pool their resources and work together through strengthened multilateral institutions to combat all forms of organised transnational crime, including terrorism.
South Africa has consistently condemned acts of terrorism and shares the international community’s concern over nuclear security. South Africa has also in the past pledged its support for the global campaign against terrorism within the framework of international law and the United Nations and its structures.
Following the summit in Washington, President Zuma will travel to Brazil to attend the fourth summit of the leaders of Brazil, India and South Africa, which is taking place on 15 April.
Enquiries:
Vincent Magwenya
Cell: 072 715 0024
Issued by: The Presidency
8 April 2010
Source: The Presidency (http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/)
