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                   Official: What's Next After Nuclear Summit

   by Pamela Dockins

   VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins interviewed Thomas
   Countryman, assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of International
   Security and Nonproliferation, at the Nuclear Security Summit in
   Washington on Friday.

   Here is a portion of the interview discussing Nuclear Summit outcomes:

   Question: What's next considering that President Barack Obama is
   hosting his fourth and final Nuclear Summit?

   Thomas Countryman: Obama's decision to make this a priority has paid
   off ... inviting 50 leaders together to discuss a single topic added
   urgency ... specific/concrete improvements ... what's next is to hand
   off the momentum to organizations like IAEA.

   Q: What must happen to secure loose nuclear material in world?

   Countryman: There is very little nuclear material that can be described
   as loose. ... Each country that has nuclear weapons or fuel (highly
   enriched uranium/plutonium) ... has made extensive improvements to
   nuclear security; it can be stronger. ... We are sharing best practices
   and ideas on storage.

   Here is a portion of the interview discussing nuclear vulnerabilities:

   Q: When it comes to nuclear smuggling and facilities' safety ... what
   countries are most vulnerable?

   Countryman: Will not give a list ... but any country where there are
   nuclear weapons, significant amounts of enriched uranium or plutonium
   and where terrorism is active. ...

   Here is a portion of the interview regarding North Korea:

   Q: Is there U.S. concern about the transfers of nuclear technology or
   materials by North Korea?

   Countryman: Concern about their possession of nuclear weapons and
   strong rhetoric from North Korea ... history of illegal behavior and
   number of behaviors ... that they may seek to proliferate it and share
   the technology.

   Q: How has that impacted that summit, considering their provocation
   today. ... There has been increased rhetoric against South Korea and
   the U.S. today ... report to attack in Brussels that two of the
   attackers were looking for a nuclear site. ...

   Countryman: The agenda is clear to everyone attending the summit...
   threats from North Korea, terrorist activity on the minds of world's
   leader, but won't change outcome of the summit.
     __________________________________________________________________

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   mit/3266680.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/official-whats-next-after-nuclear-summit/3266680.html