Global Nuclear Security Summit in Washington: N. Nazarbayev's initiatives on non-proliferation and destruction of nuclear weapons backed by world community

major danger lay not in counteraction of world empires but in attempts of international terrorists to possess nuclear weapons.

"There are still problems in ensuring security of storage, transportation of the nuclear arms and materials which are suitable for their production. We observe also systemic weakness in international cooperation regarding nuclear security ensuring", President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev said delivering a speech at the Summit.

At a briefing after the Summit N. Nazarbayev said: "Terrorists use all means of global communications in order to get access to nuclear weapons. They are not bound by any legal frames and any obligations while the world community is unable to counter them because it has no single document regulating all measures of nuclear security.

It should be noted that the Summit was the most imposing forum on nuclear security. Leaders of 47 countries and heads of the largest international organizations took part in it. The presidents confirmed their adherence to the nuclear non-proliferation regime. In particular, President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev informed of his decision to shut down the last in Russia weapons-grade plutonium plant in May, 2010. Several countries announced their intentions to reduce or renounce fully the reserves of enriched uranium. For instance, President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich said his country would get rid of its stockpile of highly-enriched uranium within two years.

In Kazakhstan this work is conducted in conformity with its international commitments. This was emphasized at the meeting with President B. Obama. This is the work on implementation of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program; interaction on decommissioning the BN-350 nuclear reactor in the city of Aktau; construction of a central reference laboratory in Almaty. The countries also cooperate in reconstruction of a research reactor in Alatau and liquidation of highly-enriched uranium stored there.

N. Nazarbayev highly appraised the initiatives and achievements of the U.S. President in ensuring international security, namely, convocation of the Global Nuclear Security Summit, signing the New START Treaty with Russia, adoption of the new nuclear strategy of the U.S.A. which had become a great step towards establishment of the nuclear-free world. The U.S. nuclear security policy provides for, first of all, adoption of new standards for nuclear materials storage, enhancing the fight with black markets of nuclear materials and weapons, destruction of the sources of financing.

It is noteworthy to say that U.S. President B. Obama and other leaders took positive view on N. Nazarbayev's proposition to establish an International Nuclear Fuel Bank on the Kazakh territory. Besides, B. Obama expressed his support to Kazakhstan's intention to join the Board of Governors of the IAEA.

The Kazakh President's initiatives were so much highly appraised by the world community that the Agence France Presse published an article entitled "Nursultan Nazarbayev is leader the world should model itself on". "The Summit would have not taken place without his participation", the article reads.

"Washington commends Kazakhstan as the country which voluntarily renounced its nuclear arsenal. This must become a final goal for the entire world", the Agence France Presse cites B. Obama as saying.

The Kazakh President proposed several important measures to the world community for countering new challenges and threats.

In particular, according to him, a new format of the "Nuclear Club" must be legitimated. De-facto nuclear states must be included in it. The Club and its each member must be obliged to act with the approval of the UN Security Council.

The countries nurturing nuclear ambitions must get rid of them fully. In exchange for this the Nuclear Club must guarantee non-use of nuclear weapons against these countries and protect them in case of attacks. As for the countries which do not wish join this process the UN Security Council must take drastic measures including even sanctions and force.

In addition, N. Nazarbayev stressed importance of carrying out expert analysis of all international acts in nuclear non-proliferation and fights with nuclear terrorism and consolidate them in one program-strategic document - a new universal treaty on comprehensive horizontal and vertical non-proliferation and destruction of nuclear weapons.

"Alongside, we support legal and inalienable right of each Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty member country to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes on the basis of observance of all IAEA requirements. There must be no monopolistic approaches and double standards here", he noted.

N. Nazarbayev's propositions on reduction of nuclear weapons worldwide aroused attention among the participants of the Summit since Kazakhstan is one of the largest producers of uranium and has huge potential for establishment of processing industries. "Voluntary renunciation of fourth in the world nuclear arsenal, closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site which enormously damaged nature and population - all these decisions give a moral right to Kazakhstan and Japan to initiate their ideas on reduction of nuclear threat worldwide", UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said during his visit to our country.

For realization of the outcomes of the global Summit N. Nazarbayev proposed to hold the Conference of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism in Astana in June, 2010. "In the conditions of globalization new terrorist organizations appear. They use global networks of communications; sometimes they rely on the support of one or another state regime on the basis of ideological affinity or just corruption. This allows the international terrorism creating appropriate infrastructure and concentrate financial and other resources.

"In this view we suggest discussing the issue concerning development of measures and mechanisms of response at the oncoming Conference. We also propose to establish a special structure under the UN aegis", the President said and added "it is high time to discuss adoption of the Universal declaration of nuclear-free world".

At a briefing for the Kazakhstani mass media N. Nazarbayev expressed satisfaction with the results of his trip which also included meetings with his foreign counterparts, heads of international organizations and companies. He especially emphasized the meeting with B. Obama in the course of which the parties had agreed on strengthening strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and the U.S.A. Prior to the meeting both countries signed an Agreement on scientific-technical cooperation. The Head of the State met with leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Jordan, India, the UAE and other countries. Besides, meetings with Director General of the IAEA and a trilateral meeting with President of Russia and President of Ukraine took place.