US hails Pak decision to ratify convention on nuclear material protection

WASHINGTON: The United States has welcomed Pakistan's decision to ratify the Amended Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM).

"We welcome Pakistan's announcement of 21 March that it ratified the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material," State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said.

Answering a question at the briefing on Thursday, he said, "Once Pakistan's paperwork is formally deposited with the IAEA, only eight more countries need to ratify the amendment before it comes into force."

Mark Toner emphasised that such "steps are supportive in making the Nuclear Security Summit a success." The NSS will take place next week where Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will also participate.

Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the IAEA l, Ambassador Ayesha Riyaz, deposited the instrument of ratification of the Amendment to IAEA director. She said,   “Ratification of the Amendment to the CPPNM demonstrates Pakistan's credentials as a responsible nuclear power state, which has put in place the highest level of security at par with the latest international standards in the field."

The basic CPPNM, enforced since 1987, is a legally binding international instrument in the area of physical protection of nuclear material. It establishes measures related to the prevention, detection and punishment of offences related to nuclear material.

The amended CPPNM expanded the scope of the convention to cover nuclear facilities and nuclear material in peaceful use, storage and international as well as domestic transportation. Responding to a question about India’s test of submarine-launched ballistic missile last week, Mark Toner said that the United Sates was concerned for any nuclear and missile development that could potentially increase the risk to nuclear security or lower the threshold for nuclear use.