Nuclear Terrorism Conference in Madrid, June 16-18, 2008

U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
For Immediate Release

Notice to the Press

Over 50 partners of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (Global Initiative) will meet in Madrid, Spain on June 16-18 for the fourth meeting. This Deputy Foreign Minister level meeting will focus on deepening partner nations’ commitments to further expand and accelerate efforts to prevent, protect, and respond to the global threat of nuclear terrorism. By further encouraging Partner nation’s activities with local governments and the private industry, partners will be able to strengthen support at varied levels to combat the global threat of nuclear terrorism. The meeting in Madrid will begin with former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani delivering a keynote speech via teleconference before a panel discussion that focuses on the integration between the private sector and national strategies against nuclear terrorism. The discussion will be facilitated by former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Charles Curtis and include international representatives from federal governments, law enforcement, and the private sector. Partner nations will also review the results of recent exercises and discuss the important role that they have in testing capabilities, developing new operational concepts, and improving overall preparedness. This meeting will also emphasize the value of further integrating the counterterrorism and counter proliferation communities with a special emphasis on deterrence, nuclear detection, and denial of terrorist safe haven. Partners of the Global Initiative will be joined by officials from the European Union, the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as industry representatives.

In Madrid, the U.S. and Russia, as co-chairs of the Global Initiative, will also welcome new partner nations. Recent endorsements of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism include: United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Malta, and Ireland. With the additions of Malta and Ireland, all European Union states are now Global Initiative Partners. The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism was launched jointly by U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 15, 2006. Three previous plenary level meetings were held in Rabat Morocco (October 30-31, 2006), Ankara Turkey (February 12-13, 2007), and Astana Kazakhstan (June 11-12, 2007).

For additional information on the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.