President Obama complimented Ukraine on the complete removal of highly enriched uranium from its territory. At the recent Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea, Obama stated that Ukraine’s full removal of the highly enriched uranium indicated the country’s “continuing courageous leadership on nuclear security”, according to the White House Press Secretary.

The two leaders agreed that Ukraine made an important contribution for securing all vulnerable nuclear materials. On March 27 the United States announced the removal of remaining 128 kilograms (over 280 pounds) of highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Ukraine. The shipments were completed as part of a joint effort of the two countries.

At the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit the Presidents Obama and Yanukovych made commitments to remove all of HEU from Ukraine by the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit. Suffice it to say that back in 2010 both Chile and Mexico decided to follow Ukraine’s initiative to get rid of its stock of enriched nuclear materials.

In order to implement the Joint Statement by Presidents Obama and Yanukovych of April 2010 a total of six secure operations had to be conducted. The operations were made possible through cooperation between the U.S., Ukraine, Russia and the IAEA. The joint efforts resulted in the successful removal of a total of 234 kilograms over a two-year period.

Originally, there were three sites in Ukraine bearing different quantities and types of HEU. The first batch (56 kilograms of spent HEU fuel) was shipped from the Kyiv Institute of Nuclear Research in May 2010, according to the fact sheet released by the White House Press Secretary.

This was followed by three shipments in late December 2010: 16 kilograms of fresh HEU from the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, 25 kilograms of fresh HEU from Sevastopol University, and 10 kilograms of fresh HEU from the Kyiv Institute of Nuclear Research. The HEU was transported to Russia, the country of its origin, where it will be converted into low enriched uranium, which cannot be used to make a nuclear weapon.

In December 1994 Ukraine joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and proclaimed its non-nuclear status. Ukraine reaffirmed its non-nuclear status in its Constitution and the declaration “On the State Sovereignty of Ukraine”.

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In March of this year, the South Korean capital will play host to the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit, the theme of which will be oriented towards the role of nuclear industry, enhancing nuclear security and safety.

The event was held for the first time in 2010 in Washington, US. Back then, representatives from 47 countries and three international organizations gathered in order to discuss the prevention of future nuclear terrorism. At the time, President Barack Obama declared that the next conference would be in the South Korea in two years’ time, without binding himself to details. Later on, it was announced that the next international meeting will be held in Seoul on March 26-27, 2012.

It is said that more than 53 heads of state and organizations will attend the events. During the previous conference in the United States, the American President alluded about the probable subject of this year’s event, but at the time nothing had been confirmed. According to the official website of the forthcoming meeting the three main issues to be discussed are:

• Cooperative measures to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism,
• Protection of nuclear materials and related facilities,
• Prevention of illicit trafficking of nuclear materials.

As a whole, the major objective of the event, which will be held at the Grand Hilton Seoul Hotel, is to tame nuclear proliferation, which has become excessively threatening after the tragic September 11 attacks in New York. During his 2009 Prague speech, the President expressed his dissatisfaction with nuclear terrorism as a serious menace to international peace. As he added, his idea is a “world free of nuclear weapons.”

Many ask themselves why this particular international event will be held in South Korea. The answer is simple. Through the years, the Asian country has proved that it has a stable economic system. Besides, it has showed leadership in maintaining the world’s political and security fields. This conference is an important step for the construction of its authority as a country.

In an interview, Duyeon Kim, Deputy Director of Non-Proliferation at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, said: “There are clear ways in which Seoul can capitalize on its strengths to flavor the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit with a ‘Korean twist,’ as it maintains depth on key substantive issues that ensure the security of nuclear materials, parts, and facilities.

The challenge lies in clearly demonstrating that the benefits outweigh the costs, and that states would have a national interest in further investing their political capital in nuclear security.” His words explain the significance of the international event in Seoul. Its purpose is not only to inform and awaken public opinion, but to find a solution to a global problem, threatening world peace.

Ultimately, South Korea has the responsibility to demonstrate its leadership on the international stage. It is the perfect chance for the government of the East Asian country to prove its idea that “the benefitst outweigh the costs,” mainly concentrating on the need for a nuclear security plan at a global level.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/koreanet/

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