UN chief calls for tougher security for nuclear facilities

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RIA Novosti, PUBLISHED September 24, 2011

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged on Thursday an increase in security standards for nuclear energy plants.

"To adequately safeguard our people, we must have strong international consensus and action. We must have strong international safety standards," Ban told a UN meeting on nuclear safety and security.

The UN chief said that that the March disaster at the Japanese Fukushima nuclear power plant, along with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, was a "wake-up call" for the whole world.

Toughening nuclear safety also means boosting the responsibilities of the relevant international organizations, particularly the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which plays the main role in nuclear safety and security, Ban said.

Earlier this year, Ban visited Ukraine's Chernobyl as well as the crippled Fukushima plant.

The head of IAEA, Yukiya Amano, who addressed the meeting by video, said that the world's trust in the safety of nuclear power was "deeply shaken" after the Fukushima accident.

"I believe confidence can be restored in time, but only if governments, regulators and plant operators - and the IAEA - work together effectively to strengthen nuclear safety everywhere and demonstrate a high degree of transparency," Amano added.

Topics: Safety

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