Nader Al-Awadhi

VIENNA: Kuwait attaches special attention to cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the region's countries, mainly GCC members, in the domain of nuclear security, said a Kuwaiti official. "Kuwait pays maximum heed to a national integrated plan to promote nuclear security in the country," Kuwait's national liaison officer at the IAEA Nader Al-Awadhi said to KUNA yesterday after submitting a working paper to a relevant international conference. The blueprint has played a core part in focusing efforts on the establishment of a strong and sustainable nuclear security infrastructure in the shortest possible time, he added.

The IAEA conference is being held in Vienna at the level of experts under the rubric: "International Conference on the Security of Radioactive Material: The Way Forward for Prevention and Detection". Elaborating, Awadhi said the Kuwaiti document included plans in the realm of nuclear security, together with a set of issues, primarily relevant expected threats. He noted that nuclear terrorism and its looming catastrophic consequences on humanity and national and environment infrastructures pose a main problem across the world in the context of globalization.

He added that the usage of radioactive material in illegal purposes is a source of permanent worry, emphasizing that an integrated system for radioactive material security is one of the key elements of national nuclear security infrastructure. The paper features the main characteristics of Kuwait's nuclear security blueprint and progress made in this regard, the Kuwaiti official pointed out. This plan has largely contributed to ensuring the country's security by means of promoting institutional, human and technical capabilities in various nuclear security aspects.

Held from December 3 to 7, the IAEA gathering provides a forum for member states to share their experiences, including difficulties encountered, lessons learned and good practices adopted, in the implementation of the nuclear security recommendations on radioactive material and associated facilities. The purpose of the conference is to foster the exchange of practices and experiences related to the security of radioactive material under regulatory control in use, transport and storage, and to the system and measures for detection of this material out of regulatory control.

The IAEA conference is aimed at participants with responsibility for policy, technical and legal aspects of nuclear security. This includes officials, policymakers and operational stakeholders responsible for nuclear security, and experts and representatives from a wide range of technical disciplines and specialist organizations that contribute to the security of radioactive material under and out of regulatory control. - KUNA