Indonesia will share its proposals on ways to prevent terrorists from sabotaging nuclear facilities when it takes part in a nuclear summit in Washington from April 12-13.
The Nuclear Security Summit will convene around 40 countries with civilian nuclear facilities, including those with nuclear weapons, to look into nuclear security planning and cooperation amid the potential of various threats regarding the facilities.
Vice President Boediono is leading a delegation that includes Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa to Washington on Sunday night for the two-day summit.
Yopie Hidayat, Boediono spokesman, said that the Vice President along with representatives from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) would hold a special meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden before the conference.
“The summit will be important because Indonesia is currently the NAM’s head of nuclear affairs,” he told Antara.
“So far NAM members have been critical of the US policy on nuclear proliferation.”
Terrorists’ sabotage on nuclear facilities is among the top security concerns of Jakarta as the country has been under several major attacks.
Jakarta said it had paid attention to the number of nuclear material thefts in several European countries, which poses a larger threat when used by terrorist groups.
Indonesia currently possesses several small nuclear reactors for research, with local hospitals having used the output for health and technology purposes, while planning to build a nuclear power plant in Muria, Central Java, in an effort to boost the country’s electricity supply to meet growing demand.
Jakarta said it would welcome bilateral or regional cooperation with other countries to enhance
the security of nuclear facilities and materials.
Yopie said it was necessary for the Indonesian Vice President to attend the summit in an effort to prevent nuclear energy from being used by irresponsible parties.
“Nuclear energy can pose a serious threat to the countries in the five continents,” Hidayat said, adding that Indonesia would continue to participate in nuclear-related conferences.
The summit is expected to produce a joint declaration and a work plan on nuclear security, which is aimed at strengthening cooperation within the International Atomic and Energy Agency (IAEA) and Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) corridors.
Jakarta said it expected the summit, initiated by US President Barack Obama last year, to become a strategic dialogue forum, which will enhance the commitment of the security of nuclear facilities around the world.
