Experts at International Conference Look to Reinforce Security of Radioactive Sources Against Potential Terrorist Threats
"National governments are redoubling their efforts to prevent and to counter nuclear terrorism, both at home and abroad. The IAEA is serving as a catalyst for these efforts. Governments and the IAEA are working overtime on this problem, and we have every intention of continuing until the threat has been vastly reduced. But this will not happen overnight; bringing the global inventory of radioactive material under proper controls will require a sustained and concerted effort."-- Mohamed ElBaradei, July 2002, essay published in the Washington Post
"We are supporting the enhanced counterterrorist responsibility of the International Atomic Energy Agency and promoting wider adherence to safeguards." -- Foreign
Ministers, Group of 8 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States), Progress Report On the Fight Against Terrorism, 12 June 2002, and G8 Recommendations to Counter Terrorism, 13 June 2002
"Given
people's fears about radiation exposure, it would be panic, rather than
the numbers of dead or damaged, that would give the terrorists their
success. It is this psychological impact, combined with their ease of
assembly, that makes radiological devices so attractive to terrorists."-- Abel
Gonzalez, IAEA Director of Radiation and Waste Safety, interview
in The Economist, 15 June 2002
"The
best way to protect ourselves against radiological terrorism is to make
sure the public and emergency responders are provided with the best information." -- Andrew
Karam, University of Rochester, USA, Radiation Safety Officer, Inside
Science News
