For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 1, 2006

Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism

      In Focus: National Security

Thirteen nations gathered this week in Rabat, Morocco to confront the grave international threat of nuclear terrorism by endorsing the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, a joint initiative announced in July by President Bush and Russia's President Putin.

Partner nations pledged to take a number of actions to fight nuclear terrorism by committing to improve accounting and security of radioactive and nuclear materials, enhance security at civilian nuclear facilities, and to improve detection of nuclear and radioactive materials to prevent illicit trafficking.

Nations also agreed to improve capabilities to search and seize unlawfully held nuclear or radioactive substances, leverage response, mitigation, and investigation capabilities in case of terrorist attack, and to develop technical means to identify nuclear or radioactive materials that could be involved in a terrorist incident.

Finally, partners committed to work to prevent the provision of safe havens to terrorists and financial or economic resources to terrorists seeking to use nuclear or radioactive materials. By working to improve national legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure appropriate criminal and civil liability for terrorists who commit acts of nuclear terrorism, partners also agreed to promote greater information sharing pertaining to acts of nuclear terrorism.

Global Initiative Partners will reconvene in February 2007 in Turkey to seek broader participation by other countries who share the Initiative's goals.

The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism is part of the President's ongoing efforts to win the Global War on Terror by enhancing cooperation between all willing partner nations to combat nuclear terrorism.

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