WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- The White House announced Tuesday it was working with international allies to take enforcement action to counter nuclear smuggling.
Participants at the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, in a communique, reaffirmed their "shared goals of nuclear disarmament, nuclear nonproliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy."
The White House said it joined 18 counties in taking "steps to build national capacities to counter nuclear smuggling." Those measures may include increased law enforcement, intelligence efforts and the increased use of radiation systems to local materials outside of regulatory control mechanisms.
Parties joined the United States in pledging to pass regulations to combat the illicit trafficking of nuclear materials by 2014, when the Netherlands hosts a nuclear security summit.
The parties added they viewed sharing information about nuclear smuggling networks "in a timely manner" with Interpol as an effective mechanism.
Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble, in a Tuesday statement, said there is "ample evidence" that al-Qaida would deploy an improvised nuclear device if presented with the opportunity. The threat, he said, is "real and present."
"Clearly, we must individually and collectively prepare ourselves for the day when locating and capturing that single terrorist on a mission of extreme destruction will decide whether any of our countries will face nuclear devastation," he said.
