7 Steps to Raise Security

In a recent essay published in the Financial Times, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei outlined his proposal for seven steps to raise the world's security. He said that three phenomena — the emergence of a nuclear black market, the determined efforts by additional countries to acquire the technology to produce the fissile material useable in nuclear weapons, and the clearly expressed desire of terrorists to acquire weapons of mass destruction — have radically altered the security landscape.

"The system itself — the regime that implements the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) — clearly needs reinforcement," he said.

He called on States meeting at the NPT Review Conference in May 2005 to pursue seven steps to strengthen world security.

1. Put a 5-year hold on new facilities for uranium enrichment and plutonium separation. There is no compelling reason for building more of these proliferation-sensitive facilities; the nuclear industry already has more than enough capacity to fuel its power plants and research facilities.
To make this holding period acceptable for everyone, commit the countries that already have these facilities to guarantee an economic supply of nuclear fuel for bona fide uses. Then use the 5-year hiatus to develop better long-term options for managing these technologies (for example, in regional centres under multinational control).To advance these ideas, Dr. ElBaradei has engaged a group of international nuclear experts, and their proposals will be put forward at the May Conference.
2. Speed up existing efforts, led by the US Global Threat Reduction Initiative and others, to modify the research reactors worldwide operating with high enriched uranium — particularly those with metal fuel that could be readily employed as bomb material. Convert these reactors to use low enriched uranium, and accelerate the technical research on how to make high enriched uranium unnecessary for all peaceful nuclear applications.
3. Raise the bar for inspection standards by establishing the "Additional Protocol" as the norm for verifying compliance with the NPT. Without the expanded authority of this protocol, the IAEA's rights of inspection are fairly limited. It has proven its value recently in Iran, Libya and elsewhere, and it should be brought into force for all countries.
4. Call on the UN Security Council to act swiftly and decisively on the case of any country that withdraws from the NPT, in terms of the threat the withdrawal poses to international peace and security.
5. Call on all States to act on the Security Council's recent resolution 1540, to pursue and prosecute any illicit trading in nuclear material and technology.
6. Call on the five nuclear-weapon States party to the NPT — to accelerate implementation of their "unequivocal commitment" to nuclear disarmament, building on efforts such as the 2002 Moscow Treaty between Russia and the US. Negotiating a treaty to irreversibly ban the production of fissile material for nuclear weapon programmes would be a welcome starting point.
7. Acknowledge the volatility of longstanding tensions that give rise to proliferation — in regions like the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula — and take action to resolve existing security deficits and, where needed, provide security assurances. In the case of the Middle East, call on all parties to pursue a dialogue on regional security as part of the peace process. One goal of this dialogue would be to make the Middle East a nuclear-weapons-free zone.

"None of the foregoing steps will work in isolation. Each requires a concession from someone. But with leadership from all sides, this package of proposals will create gains for everyone," he said.