King back home after partaking in nuclear summit

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday returned home after concluding his business visit to Washington, where he participated in the Nuclear Security Summit, a Royal Court statement said.

On Friday, His Majesty attended the closing session of the Nuclear Security Summit, during which attendees discussed policies to combat smuggling nuclear materials. 

During the session, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, participants stressed that the dangerous scenario of terrorists’ possession of nuclear weapons and materials is one of the most alarming global challenges. 

They highlighted the importance of having in place a comprehensive structure to enhance nuclear security on national, regional and international levels, and encouraging states to enact and enforce national laws on nuclear security. 

The attendees stressed that in order to prevent terrorist groups from obtaining nuclear and radioactive materials, there has to be effective international cooperation that includes exchanging information in accordance with the local laws of each country. 

The session covered ways to encourage countries to use nuclear power only for peaceful civilian purposes, the statement added. 

The summit’s opening session was held under the slogan of “National Actions to Enhance Nuclear Security,” focussing on areas of international cooperation in preventing the transportation of nuclear and radioactive materials, and ways to transfer know-how from countries with expertise in dealing with nuclear materials and techniques in order to enable them to develop advanced national programmes.

The summit addressed the importance of strengthening national capacities of countries to empower them to detect nuclear materials and prevent smuggling, applying the best practices in the field.

On the sidelines of the summit, His Majesty held separate meetings with heads of delegations, including the prime ministers of Japan, Shinzo Abe; the Netherlands, Mark Rutte; and Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Talks centred on ways to boost cooperation and bilateral relations, in addition to regional and international affairs of mutual interest, including the global fight against terrorism, the Royal Court said.

The Crown Prince attended the meetings with Abe and Rutte, along with senior officials and diplomats.

On Thursday, at a dinner held by US President Barack Obama in honour of heads of delegations taking part in the summit, King Abdullah commented on an initiative presented to the summit, sponsored by 39 state and non-state actors.

“Our initiative is important as consolidating our border security is of paramount importance for the security of Jordan and the globe.”

“We will remain actively engaged in the summit contact group and continue the build-up of our Interagency Counter Nuclear Smuggling Team,” he added.