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With
fears heightened that terrorists might obtain a "dirty bomb,"
a conference organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) concluded yesterday with a call for stronger national and
international security over the sources and illicit trafficking of
radioactive materials.
"High-risk radioactive sources that are not under secure and
regulated control, including so-called 'orphan' sources, raise
serious security and safety concerns," the International Conference
on Security of Radioactive Sources said at the conclusion of a
three-day meeting in Vienna. "Effective national infrastructures
for the safe and secure management of vulnerable and dangerous
radioactive sources are essential for ensuring the long-term
security and control of such sources."
Orphaned sources are those that, due to loss, theft, or
abandonment, have fallen outside official regulatory control. In
some countries, regulatory control of radioactive sources, used
extensively in medicine and industry, remains weak, IAEA said.
Global fears that terrorists could use radioactive sources to make
radiological dispersal devices, or so-called dirty bombs, escalated
after the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United
States.
To effectively deal with the threat the conference called for new
international initiatives aimed at facilitating the location,
recovery and securing of high-risk radioactive sources throughout
the world, under IAEA aegis. Key recommendations included stronger
measures to detect, interdict and respond to illicit trafficking in
such sources and concerted efforts by all states and the IAEA to
enhance current national and international arrangements to respond
proactively to the possible malevolent use of such materials.
More than 700 delegates from over 120 countries and global law
enforcement agencies attended the conference, which was
co-sponsored by the Russian Federation and the United States in
co-operation with the European Commission (EC), the European Police
Office (EUROPOL), the International Criminal Police Organization
(ICPO-Interpol) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) - UN News.
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