Tag Archives: White House

Blog: Michelle Obama Visits Haiti, Mexico Announces Reactor Conversion Plan

Walter Fick
White House Correspondent
WPRB News

WASHINGTON – Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced that his country will convert their nuclear research reactor to using low enriched uranium as part of a global effort to secure weapons-grade nuclear materials. The plan calls for a trilateral effort on the part of Mexico, Canada and the United States to carry out the conversion, along with the assistance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). President Obama is currently leading a 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, pressuring world leaders to introduce new measures to secure vulnerable nuclear weapons.

The threat of nuclear terrorism has been the hallmark issue for the first day and a half of the Summit. In his opening remarks, Obama called that threat one of the greatest threats to global security and said that the risk of a nuclear attack has risen. In announcing his government’s decision, Calderon indicated his shared concern for the terrorist threat.

Mexico has a “strong commitment to prevent and suppress nuclear terrorism,” said Calderon in a statement. ”With this kind of cooperation with the IAEA and our North American partners, we [will] definitely contribute to reducing the risks associated with illicit trafficking of nuclear materials.”

Both Obama and Canadian President Steven Harper have expressed their strong support for Mexico’s decision. Highly enriched uranium, which Mexico currently uses in its reactor, can be used for the creation of nuclear weapons. As part of his push to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials within four years, Obama has levied pressure on other nations to convert their reactors to using low enriched uranium, which cannot be used for weapons.

In other news, First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden made a surprise visit to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The First Lady is currently on her first solo trip abroad, on which she plans to visit Mexico. Her visit to Haiti comes on the three-month anniversary of the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake the destroyed much of the capital city.

The White House kept her planned visit secret, only releasing the information once she had landed. During the visit, the First Lady took a helicopter tour of the capital. A White House statement said that her visit was designed to underscore the US’s commitment to rebuilding Haiti.

Blog: Complete Story of Ukraine's Plans to Remove Uranium by 2012

Leave a reply

Walter Fick
White House Correspondent
WPRB News

WASHINGTON – Ukraine agreed today to remove its entire highly enriched uranium stockpile by the time of the next Nuclear Security Summit in 2012. The announcement came early on the first day of an unprecedented gathering of world leaders to discuss means of securing vulnerable nuclear materials. This year’s Nuclear Security Summit includes 47 nations and is being held Monday and Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

Ukraine’s announcement came as a relief to the Obama administration, which has been pressuring participating nations to announce concrete measures to improve the security of weapons-grade nuclear materials. Ukraine currently has enough highly enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs.

The announcement came immediately after a bilateral meeting this afternoon between Obama and President Victor Yanukovich of the Ukraine. White House officials hailed it as “a landmark decision” and praised the Ukraine’s “leadership” in securing nuclear materials.

“This is something that the United States has tried to make happen for more than ten years,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

In order to remove the highly enriched uranium, the Ukraine will convert its civil nuclear research facilities to using low enriched uranium, which cannot be used for weapons. Plans for what to do with the removed uranium have not been finalized, but a likely outcome is that the United States will accept custody of the material. Ukraine announced that it plans to begin removing “a substantial part of those stocks” by years end.

Princeton University Professor and long-time nuclear security expert Dr. Frank von Hippel called the announcement “very good news.” ”The Ukrainians have been very ambivalent about letting go of this highly enriched uranium,” he said. ”[This is] just the kind of fall-out from the Summit that was hoped for, but uncertain.”

Chile made a similar decision to remove its significantly smaller stockpile of highly enriched uranium earlier this year. Last month it was successfully transferred in secret to the United States for secure storage.

Ukraine has a long history of pursuing nuclear non-proliferation. The former Soviet republic, along with Kazakhstan and Belarus, agreed in 1994 to remove all the left over Soviet nuclear munitions from its territory.

“Ukraine has been an international leader on disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation and a valued partner in the implementation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) since its historic 1994 decision,” a White House statement said.

Obama hopes for other nations to make similar announcements about steps they plan to take to secure vulnerable nuclear weapons. Yesterday, the President called nuclear terrorism the single greatest threat to national security.

“If there was ever a detonation in New York City, or London, or Johannesburg, the ramifications economically, politically, and from a security perspective would be devastating,” he said. ”We know that organizations like al Qaeda are in the process of trying to secure a nuclear weapon — a weapon of mass destruction that they have no compunction at using.”

Administration officials have stressed for the past week the need for an international consensus on the threat of nuclear terrorism. Relatively small amounts of fissile material could allow terrorists to create either a dirty bomb — a device that could contaminate an area with radioactivity — or an outright nuclear bomb. According to US intelligence sources, many terrorist organizations have been actively seeking these materials for years.

“The threat of nuclear terrorism is real, it is serious, [and] it is growing,” said John Brennan, the Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security. ”Over the past there has been indisputable evidence that dozens of terrorist groups have actively sought some type of weapon of mass effect.”

Whether other nations will listen to and take action to prevent this threat, however, remains to be seen. Obama appeared Monday afternoon, however, to remain hopeful.

“I think it (the Summit) is an impressive indication of how deeply concerned everybody should be with the possibilities of nuclear traffic,” he said. ”I think and the end of this we’re going to see some very specific, concrete actions that each nation is taking that will make the world a little bit safer.”

Blog: Ukraine Vows to Remove Highly-Enriched Uranium by 2012

Leave a reply

Walter Fick
White House Correspondent
WPRB News

WASHINGTON – Ukraine has announced that it will remove all highly-enriched uranium by 2012. The former Soviet republic has at least 90 kilograms of the material, which could be used to produce nuclear weapons. The announcement comes in the midst of a 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C.

John Brennan, the Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, made the announcement during the White House Daily Press Briefing. According to him and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, the material will most likely be held in the United States. Details, however, are still being worked out.

At least 90 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium are currently held by the Ukraine in facilities like the Kiev Institute for Nuclear Research and the Sevastopol Institute of Nuclear Energy and Industry. President Obama met with President Victor Yanukovich of the Ukraine earlier today to discuss the planned transfer.

Last month Chile moved its 18 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium to the United States under a top-secret transfer. The agreement with Chile was part of a long-standing US offer to trade for highly-enriched uranium and plutonium. Highly-enriched uranium and plutonium can be used to make nuclear weapons or so-called dirty bombs.

The Nuclear Security Summit is designed to head-start a global movement to secure vulnerable nuclear materials and prevent terrorist organizations from obtaining nuclear capabilities. US intelligence sources report that al-Qaeda and other terrorists are actively seeking nuclear materials in order to create an improvised nuclear device.

“The single biggest threat to U.S. security, both short term, medium term and long term, would be the possibility of a terrorist organization obtaining a nuclear weapon,” President Obama said yesterday. ”This is something that could change the security landscape of this country and around the world for years to come. If there was ever a detonation in New York City, or London, or Johannesburg, the ramifications economically, politically, and from a security perspective would be devastating. And we know that organizations like al Qaeda are in the process of trying to secure a nuclear weapon — a weapon of mass destruction that they have no compunction at using.

The White House has pledged to support any other nations that want to secure or transfer their nuclear materials. Ultimately, Obama hopes to meet his goal of securing all vulnerable uranium and plutonium within the next four years. He originally proposed this during his wide-raning nuclear policy speech in Prague last year.

Blog: Nuclear Security Summit Morning of Day 1

Leave a reply

Photo by Walter Fick

Today the Nuclear Security Summit gets under way. President Obama already met with King Abdullah II of Jordan here at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. No word on what they discussed, though a read-out should be available soon. Security is tighter here than I’ve ever seen it. The U.S. Army is out in force, though they appear to be unarmed. Army trucks line most of the streets and intersections stretching out for many blocks away from the Convention Center. Groups of soldiers can be seen on the street corners, along with scores of police and Secret Service. Near the Convention Center the streets are blocked off with heavy-duty black riot fencing and concrete barriers. Heavily armed Secret Service are everywhere and inside the Convention Center every area is heavily guarded. As one reporter said in the official pool report this morning, “the city is basically a police state today with so many leaders to protect.” A few protestors were seen outside the barriers, though I couldn’t make out what they were protesting because their signs were in Chinese.

Now for the real news. President Obama is currently in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mohammed Najib Abdul Razak of Malaysia. Later today he will also hold bilaterals with President Victor Yanukovich of Ukraine, President Serzh Sargsian of Armenia, and President Hu Jintao of China. Yesterday he met with the leaders of India, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Pakistan and Nigeria. Below are my summaries of what was discussed at each of those meetings.

India – global development, economic infrastructure, food security, poverty reduction, Afghanistan, the Nuclear Security Summit, counterterrorism, and nuclear non-proliferation

Kazakhstan – extensive talk on nuclear safety and non-proliferation, Afghanistan, investment and trade, democracy, civil contacts between the US and Kazakhstan, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; for more details, check out the official joint statement from the meeting at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/joint-statement-meeting-between-president-obama-and-kazakhstan-president-nazarbayev

South Africa – nuclear security, South Africa’s dismantling of its nuclear weapons program, Iran, South Africa’s HIV/AIDS epidemic, climate change and clean energy, Zimbabwe, and the 2010 World Cup

Pakistan – the April 5 terrorist attack on the US Consulate and the simultaneous attack against a political event, the March 24-25 Strategic Dialogue between the US and Pakistan, increasing Pakistani popular support for the US-Pakistani relationship, US assistance to Pakistan, and energy-sector projects in Pakistan

Nigeria – global security, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, terrorism, democracy, fighting corruption, economic development and internal conflict

The biggest news of the day was right before Obama’s meeting with President Zuma of South Africa, when he spoke to the press and gave us the sound bites needed for the evening’s newscasts and this morning’s papers. Notably, he said that “the single biggest threat to U.S. security, both short term, medium term and long term, would be the possibility of a terrorist organization obtaining a nuclear weapon. This is something that could change the security landscape of this country and around the world for years to come. If there was ever a detonation in New York City, or London, or Johannesburg, the ramifications economically, politically, and from a security perspective would be devastating. And we know that organizations like al Qaeda are in the process of trying to secure a nuclear weapon — a weapon of mass destruction that they have no compunction at using.”

That’s all for now. Obama should be about ready to meet with President Yanukovich of the Ukraine. In about an hour, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan will hold a press briefing here at the Convention Center. I’ll update with a new post after that with the news of today. Also, quickly, Vice President Biden has been in bilateral meetings this morning and will be hosting a lunch with several world leaders at the Naval Observatory. More on that after the press briefing.

Blog: Nuclear Security Summit Preview

Leave a reply

By: Walter Fick
White House Correspondent
WPRB News

WASHINGTON – Tomorrow marks the first day of the Nuclear Security Summit, but meetings are already planned for today as President Obama tries to reach out to other world leaders. Administration officials hail the summit as part of a global effort to prevent nuclear terrorism and secure vulnerable nuclear materials.

To kick off the Summit, Obama will hold four bilateral meetings at the Blair House today with the leaders of India, Kazakhstan, South Africa and Pakistan. A previously scheduled meeting with President Medvedev of Russia has apparently been delayed or canceled, though the White House has not yet commented on the schedule change.

On Monday, Obama will continue with at least four bilateral meeting, before individually welcoming each delegation to the Summit. Tuesday will include the main activities, such as two planner recessions with the delegations and a concluding press conference.

Obama’s officials have emphasized the need for this conference to make headway in global nuclear security. Obama has called the threat of nuclear terrorism one of his highest priorities and in the last week made two key steps towards improved nuclear security. Both the newly released Nuclear Posture Review and the new START treaty are designed to lower international tensions related to nuclear weapons. This week’s summit will draw much more focused attention on securing vulnerable nuclear materials and preparing countries to deal with the threat of a nuclear-armed terrorist.

“A nuclear weapon in the hands of a terrorist is a danger to people everywhere — from Moscow to New York; from the cities of Europe to South Asia,” Obama said on Thursday. ”Next week, 47 nations will come together in Washington to discuss concrete steps that can be taken to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world in four years.”

The promise to secure nuclear materials in four years was first made by Obama last year when he visited Prague to outline his plan for the future of nuclear weapons. Getting all nations on board with the plan, however, may be extremely difficult.

Past attempts to increase security around nuclear weapons have yielded minimal fruit. Some progress has been made, by converting many highly-enriched uranium reactors to using non-weapons grade uranium, but countries have often balked at US advice on how to secure reactors and testing sites.

One potential difference will be the new role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA recently had added to its mission the role of providing assistance and guidelines on what is adequate physical security for holding nuclear materials. Dr. Amano, the head of the IAEA, will be among those in attendance at the Summit. A head-of-delegation lunch on Tuesday will also focus on the role of the IAEA and how the agency can assist countries.

“It’s very important that we try to endorse and strengthen the role of the IAEA in this area,” Gary Samore, the White House Coordinator for WMDs, Counter-Terrorism and Arms Control, said.

Administration officials hope that the Summit will get countries to the point of making firm declarations of their intentions to strengthen the security surrounding their nuclear materials. Experts, however, warn that any advances in this area will likely be modest.

For more, tune in to WPRB 103.3FM at 12:30PM today to listen to an interview with nuclear security expert and Princeton University Professor Dr. Frank von Hilden, and be sure to check out wprb.com/news for more updates.

Blog: Israeli FM Raises Tensions Over Palestinian Independence

Leave a reply

Here’s the first post from WPRB’s new Washington correspondent, Walter Fick, who will be posting on the latest headlines in international relations and the political goings-on of DC. Check back early next week for Fick’s coverage of the Nuclear Security Summit at the Washington Convention Center.

west bank street // photo credit: phogel

Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s foreign minister, said in an interview today that attempts by Palestine to declare independence next year could lead Israel to revoke prior peace agreements and annex portions of the West Bank. Though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has not released any official response to Lieberman’s comments, an official reportedly said that Israel’s long-standing policy is to respond unilaterally to any unilateral Palestinian actions.

Lieberman also emphasized that Israel will continue with plans to build settlements in the West Bank and lashed out at Turkey’s government. Israel and Turkey, another key US partner in the region, have strong economic and military ties but have been at odds Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan censured Israeli military actions in Gaza.

Lieberman told an Israeli newspaper that Erdogan’s actions have damaged decades of “excellent” ties between the two nations and that the Prime Minister is “slowly turning into Gadhafi or Hugo Chavez (the leaders of Libya and Venezuala).”

This latest saber-rattling comes in the midst of a well-publicized dispute between Israel and the White House. White House officials originally felt offended when Israel announced the construction of new settlements in Jerusalem during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to the country last month. Since then, relations between the two allies have reportedly been tense, although Netanyahu sat down with Obama for several hours during his visit to the United States.

Israeli newspapers report that Netanyahu will return to Washington next week to attend the Nuclear Security Summit. No plans have been announced, however, for him to meet with either Obama or Erdogan during that time. The White House has also not yet commented on Lieberman’s interview.