VIENNA, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman called on the international community to reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation while promoting nuclear energy.
At the 50th annual meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Bodman stressed the need for international cooperation to safely expand the use of nuclear energy as a clean and affordable energy source while strengthening nuclear non-proliferation.
In prepared remarks, Bodman said: "As an international community, we must work together to globally expand clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy in ways that reduce proliferation risks, increase global energy security, and limit pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The decisions we make today in terms of both reliable energy supply and nuclear non-proliferation will have an effect for generations to come."
The IAEA was formed within the United Nations system in 1957. Today it has 140 members and is the world's forum for nuclear, scientific and technical cooperation. The agency also is the international inspectorate for safeguards required under the Treaty for the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
