Nuclear terrorism is officially the main topic for world leaders at a two-day summit in the Netherlands that started on Monday, March 24. In practice, the Ukraine crisis will likely overshadow those talks.
President Barack Obama at a G7 Leaders meeting at the official residence of the Dutch Prime Minister, in The Hague. Seated clockwise from Obama are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japan PM Shinzo Abe, Italy's P M Matteo Renzi, European Commission
China's President Xi Jinping, fourth from right, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, fourth from left, and their delegations meet at the prime minister's residence in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday March 23, 2014.
China's President Xi Jinping, second left, his wife Peng Liyuan, left, Dutch King Willem Alexander, center, Queen Maxima, second right, and Princess Beatrix, right, pose for the official photo at the royal palace in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Saturday
While Ukraine is likely to dominate diplomacy behind the scenes in The Hague, it already is a nuclear success story.
What's likely to be left for a final summit back in Washington in 2016 is a mechanism for countries to request a confidential independent review of their security practices, presumably conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Piet de Klerk, the Dutch diplomat who chaired negotiations before the summit, says a further large drop in numbers is unlikely. But he says The Hague closing accord will likely include a new commitment to reduce plutonium stores. That is
Representational Photo (AFP)
Because countries usually regard protecting nuclear weapons and facilities as a confidential sovereign matter, the summits center on individual commitments by participants and conclude with a non-binding accord.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the event's timing means world leaders can discuss Ukraine and Russia face to face. "I think these multilateral summits are an excellent opportunity for world leaders to discuss bilaterally and also amongst
The summit is the third since U.S. President Barack Obama launched the series in 2009 shortly after taking office, saying that reducing the risk of a terrorist attack with either a nuclear weapon or a "dirty bomb" was one of his most important
Delegations from 53 countries, including the leaders of the U.S., China and Japan, have arrived in the Hague. They will meet to negotiate on reducing and securing supplies, and keeping them out of terrorists' hands. The G-7 includes the U.S.,
The Nuclear Security Summit in the Hague will form the backdrop for an emergency meeting of Group of Seven leaders on Russia's annexation of Crimea. It's a confrontation between Russia and the West reminiscent of the Cold War.