Zapatero to return to Washington for nuclear summit
US President Barack Obama has formally invited Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to a summit on nuclear safety in April.
The meeting, to be held on April 12 and 13, aims to strengthen the fight against nuclear terrorism.
Obama’s letter to Zapatero says that those taking part will seek effective measures to protect ‘vulnerable’ nuclear material all over the world during the next four years, in order to ‘frustrate the ambitions of those who would cause unthinkable damage’ to the planet.
About 40 heads of state have been invited to the summit at the White House next month.
This will be Zapatero’s third visit to Washington. Obama and Zapatero first met in October 2009. Zapatero also participated in February as the guest of honour at the U.S. national prayer breakfast.
The US president proposes ‘a sincere and open examination’ of terrorism while seeking international consensus to protect the world against what he calls the disastrous consequences of an act of nuclear terrorism.
Obama launched this anti-terrorism initiative in Prague in April 2009, with the goal of reducing, and ultimately eliminating, nuclear arsenals. Obama hopes to achieve this goal within four years. More immediately, however, he hopes to prevent the proliferation of nuclear arms and materials into the hands of terrorists.
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