An international institute to work on the
improvement of global nuclear security practices was launched in Vienna Monday,
funded by the Unites States and the Nuclear Threat Initiative organization, dpa reported.
The World Institute for Nuclear Security will provide a forum for
experts, industry and government officials to discuss standards for protecting
nuclear materials from criminals or terrorists.
"The world can't afford to wait for a security Chernobyl before we
act," said former US Senator Sam Nunn, who chairs the Washington-based
Nuclear Threat Initiative together with CNN founder Ted Turner.
Around 200 cases of illicit trafficking of radioactive sources are reported to
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) per year, but many more are
estimated to go unreported.
"Among all the threats we are facing in the world, the prospect of nuclear
terrorism is the biggest danger we are facing in the near future", IAEA
Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said.
The institute was launched on the sidelines of the IAEA general conference that
is convening in Vienna this week.