Lebanon agrees to install nuke detections

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Lebanon has signed a deal to partner with the United States on nuclear non-proliferation through the installation of radioactive threat detection technologies.

Under the agreement, the Lebanese Customs Administration will work with the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration to install nuclear materials detection equipment at the port of Beirut and the port of Tripoli, the NNSA reported.

Lebanon's installation partnership with the NNSA, which most recently signed a similar agreement with Panama to counter nuclear terrorist threats, is part of an effort by the country to prevent the smuggling of illicit nuclear materials and to secure Lebanon's main ports.

Officials say the agreement also includes work by the NNSA with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Commission to install threat detection equipment at Lebanon's land border crossings as part of the NNSA's Second Line of Defense program

"This agreement represents a major step forward in our efforts to prevent global smuggling of radiological and nuclear materials because of Lebanon's geostrategic position as an east-west transit point for goods and people," William Tobey, NNSA deputy administrator for defense nuclear non-proliferation, said in a statement.