The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
March 27, 2012

Press Briefing by Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes on President Obama's Bilateral Meeting with Prime Minister Gilani of Pakistan

Via Conference Call

6:15 P.M. KST

MR. RHODES:  Hi, everybody.  Thanks for getting on this call.  I just wanted to read out the President’s meeting with Prime Minister Gilani.  This meeting (inaudible) to discuss the importance that they place on nuclear security and the need to maintain vigilance against the threat of nuclear terrorism.  The two leaders discussed the importance of ensuring a stable, sovereign Afghanistan, including working together in earnest to support an Afghan-led reconciliation process.  In that vein, the President welcomed Prime Minister Gilani’s recent statement encouraging all Taliban to join the political process. 

With the Pakistani parliamentary review nearing completion, the President made clear his view that the United States and Pakistan must move forward on important shared interests, including counterterrorism and fostering a stable Afghanistan.  The President underscored that he values a relationship between our two countries based on mutual interest, trust and respect for Pakistani sovereignty.  And again, in that vein, as he said in his opening comments to the press, the President very much welcomes the review that the parliament is conducting and the efforts that that Pakistan civilian government is undertaking to address the U.S.-Pakistan relationship.

The President and Prime Minister also agreed that as cooperation on our shared interest increases, the United States would welcome the potential participation of Pakistan in the ISAF summit in Chicago in May. 

And with that, operator, I’d be happy to take questions.

Q    Just wondering, given the heightened tensions as of late, to what extent was that addressed?  And did you feel as though there was any progress made on that front?  Did you feel as though President Obama and the Prime Minister felt more unified coming out of this meeting?  Thank you.

MR. RHODES:  Thanks, Kristen.  I would say that the two leaders did address the recent tensions between our two countries, and in fact, the parliamentary review that Pakistan is undertaking I think follows in the wake of those tensions.

But I think that this was a meeting that made important progress in both sides being able to hear directly from one another about what their views are of the various interests on which we cooperate.  And I think that the President came away from the meeting with a clear understanding of the process that’s underway in Pakistan to review aspects of the relationship between our two countries.  And again, he’s very respectful of that process, which is underway.

And similarly, President Obama was able to communicate clearly the views of the United States, which includes the core national interest that we have, of course, in continuing our efforts against al Qaeda and the region, but also includes a significant commitment to a relationship between the United States and Pakistan that can serve both of our interests, because after all, these same terrorists have killed many Pakistanis, thousands of Pakistanis over the course of the last several years.  And Pakistani cooperation has helped us make progress against al Qaeda.

Similarly, they were able to discuss, beyond the security issues, the broader relationship we can build where we have the type of trade and investment relationship that serves both countries.

So I think it made progress in advancing a dialogue, getting a better understanding of one another’s position, and working through the tensions that have been a part of the relationship in recent months.

Another question is there is another one.

Q    Yes, I’m wondering to what extent, Ben, did the drone issue figure in the talks, and did they make any progress on that, on whether there will be any advance notification in any way to Pakistan when drone missions are undertaken?  And just how would you describe the tone between the two of them?

MR. RHODES:  Well, on the second part, I think the tone was one of mutual respect and a sincere interest in gaining a better understanding of each other’s respective positions, and trying to determine the best way in which the United States and Pakistan can work through the types of issues that are being discussed in the Pakistani parliament, and again, that represent the interest of both countries.

In terms of counterterrorism, without getting into any specific programs or operations, what I would say is that we discussed ways in which we can ensure that we have an ongoing dialogue at all levels of our government -- civilian and others
-- to discuss how we can better cooperate to again (inaudible) that we have in al Qaeda.  And the President (inaudible) he believes that both the United States and Pakistan have --

(Call lost.)

Q    I think we lost you.

OPERATOR:  Ladies and gentlemen, please stand by for a moment while we reconnect the speaker, Mr. Rhodes.

MR. RHODES:  Sorry about that.  The call dropped.  But I was just going to conclude by saying that on counterterrorism, they agreed that there needed to be, again, ongoing consultations across our governments about the best way to cooperate going forward against the shared enemy that we have in al Qaeda.  Again, the President expressed the significant, core interest that the United States has in defeating al Qaeda, which is shared by Pakistan.

But again, we want to make sure that our cooperation is able to sustain the support that will help it succeed in both of our countries.  And again, we look forward to working with Pakistan as they complete their parliamentary review and discussing the ideas that come out of that review as we continue to ensure that we are cooperating in the best way possible with regard to our efforts against al Qaeda.

We’ll take another question.

Q    Thanks for doing the call.  I just was curious whether the Prime Minister brought up any concerns at all about some of these recent issues going on in Afghanistan regarding the U.S. troops there, both from the accidental burning of the Koran and the killings of the civilians by the one soldier.  I didn’t know if he brought that up at all or had any concerns about sort of the U.S. presence there, and if whether things were devolving in any way.

MR. RHODES:  Thanks for the question.  They did talk about Afghanistan and did not focus on those particular incidents, though.  They focused on reconciliation.  And Prime Minister Gilani recently made a very positive statement about the need to pursue reconciliation and encouraging Taliban to join the political process going forward. 

I think in their comments today they focused on the need to continue the dialogue between the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan about finding ways to support an Afghan-led reconciliation process.  I think the President made it clear that he believes that it’s important for Pakistan to continue to be a part of that discussion and to continue to work to support an Afghan-led reconciliation process.  And Prime Minister Gillani very much committed himself and his government to supporting those efforts going forward as well.

So it focused more on the political component and the reconciliation process.  And again, they shared I think a consensus that Pakistan has a constructive role to play in that process going forward.  And so those are the primary nature of the Afghanistan discussions.

I think the President also was able to express, as we look forward and transition to the Afghans and reduce our troop presence in Afghanistan, ultimately shift into a support role, he wants to have a discussion that includes Afghanistan, Pakistan as well, as we determine the best way to ensure that the region is secure, stable, and moving forward.  So those are the nature of the discussions that they had today.

I think we have time for another question.

Q    Hey, guys.  Sorry about the other one.  Thanks for doing the call.  The civil nuclear agreement -- did the Pakistani Prime Minister mention a civil nuclear agreement in this meeting, and did the President have any reaction to that?

MR. RHODES:  No, they actually did not get into that subject.  The meeting really focused on the parliamentary review, counterterrorism, Afghanistan, some -- they touched some on the potential to deepen economic cooperation.  So I think really other than reiterating I think the commitment to nuclear security and the shared effort to the Nuclear Security Summit, there wasn’t a discussion of additional civilian nuclear cooperation.

Of course, the United States is currently engaged in a partnership with Pakistan to address its urgent energy needs in ways that do not involve necessarily civil nuclear cooperation.  And so separate from the discussion about -- separate from the discussion about civil nuclear, the President did express his continued commitment to helping Pakistan as it addresses a very significant energy challenge.

I think that we are running for the motorcade here now, so I’ll probably have to wrap there.  But thanks, everybody, for jumping on the call.

END
6:28 P.M. KST

President Obama Speaks at the Nuclear Security Summit

March 27, 2012 | 5:05 | Public Domain

President Obama’s remarks from the Opening Plenary Session of the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul.

Download mp4 (49MB) | mp3 (12MB)

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Remarks by President Obama at Opening Plenary Session of the Nuclear Security Summit

Coex Center
Seoul, Republic of Korea

9:22 A.M. KST

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you very much, President Lee, for welcoming us here today and for the extraordinary hospitality and accommodations that have been provided by the Republic of Korea. We are very grateful to you, and we are grateful to the Korean people for the outstanding leadership in bringing us here together in Seoul.

Like the G20 summit two years ago, this gathering is a tribute to the nations that contribute to security and peace that's playing a leading role around the globe and that's taking its rightful place on the world stage.  When I hosted the first Nuclear Security Summit two years ago in Washington, there were those who questioned whether our nations could summon the will to confront one of the gravest dangers of our time.  In part because it involves a lot of technical issues, in part because the world was still grappling with a whole host of other issues like the economy and the global recession, there was some skepticism that we would be able to sustain an effort around this topic.  But that's exactly what we've done. 

We've agreed that nuclear terrorism is one of the most urgent and serious threats to global security.  We agreed to the goal of securing the world's nuclear materials in four years.  We committed ourselves to specific and concrete actions.  And to get this done, we agreed a new effort of sustained and effective international cooperation was required, that we would need to create an architecture in which we could share best practices, help to enforce many of the commitments that we had already made, and continue to improve every aspect of this issue.

Over the past two years, the questions have been different
-- would we back up our words with deeds; would we sustain our cooperation.  Today, here in Seoul, we can answer with a resounding yes.  We are fulfilling the commitments we made in Washington.  We are improving security at our nuclear facilities. We are forging new partnerships.  We are removing nuclear materials, and in some cases, getting rid of these materials entirely.  And as a result, more of the world's nuclear materials will never fall into the hands of terrorists who would gladly use them against us.

Of course, what's also undeniable is that the threat remains.  There are still too many bad actors in search of these dangerous materials, and these dangerous materials are still vulnerable in too many places.  It would not take much -- just a handful or so of these materials -- to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people.  And that's not an exaggeration; that's the reality that we face.

And that's why what's required continues to be a serious and sustained effort, and why I'm so encouraged by the excellent participation today, which is, again, a testimony to President Lee's leadership.  More nations have come to the table -- this time, more than 50 -- not to talk, but to take action.  As a consequence of this summit, more commitments will be made -- more real, tangible steps.  As a consequence, more of our citizens will be safer from the danger of nuclear terrorism.

I think we all understand that no one nation can do this alone.  This is one of those challenges in our interconnected world that can only be met when we work as an international community.  And what we did in Washington, what we're now doing in Korea, becomes part of a larger global architecture designed to reduce the dangers of nuclear weapons and nuclear terrorism, but also allows us then to more safely and effectively pursue peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

So, again, I want to thank President Lee for his leadership. I want to thank all the leaders who are participating here today. I know people's schedules are extraordinarily busy.  We've come a long way in a very short time, and that should encourage us.  And that should not lead us to complacency, however; it should fortify our will as we continue to deal with these issues. 

I believe we can maintain that will and that focus.  I believe we must, because the security of the world depends on the actions that we take.

So, President Lee, thank you again.

END                    
9:27 A.M. KST 

Close Transcript

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
March 27, 2012

Joint Statement on Transport Security

1. In the principal communiqué here at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, all participants reaffirm their commitment to the security of civil transport of nuclear and radioactive materials as follows:
 
We will continue efforts to enhance the security of nuclear and other radioactive materials while in domestic and international transport, and encourage States to share best practices and cooperate in acquiring the necessary technologies to this end. Recognizing the importance of a national layered defense against the loss or theft of nuclear and other radioactive materials, we encourage the establishment of effective national nuclear material inventory management and domestic tracking mechanisms, where required, that enable States to take appropriate measures to recover lost and stolen materials.
 
2. We the participating countries, namely France, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan to this additional statement on transport security, express our further commitment to the followings:
 
1) The participating countries in this basket will hold working group meetings to address the transport security issues amongst the representatives of the governments and relevant international organisations with the participation of their officials and researchers;
 
(a) for effective implementation of INFRCIC/225/Rev.5
(b) for building close relationship among relevant agencies and Centres of Excellence(CoE) to strengthen transport security
(c) for development and research of equipment by related industries, relevant agencies and COE.
 
2) The first working group meeting will be held in Japan by 2013.
 
3) The participating countries in this basket may consider organizing training exercises, including table-top exercises for strengthened emergency preparedness.
 
4) Based upon exercises, a proposal will be submitted at the third Nuclear Security Summit, which should lead to the strengthened transport security.
 
5) This basket group should invite security-related officials from the IMO, ICAO and IAEA for these discussions.
 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
March 27, 2012

Statement of Activity and Cooperation to Counter Nuclear Smuggling

At the Washington Nuclear Security Summit we agreed on a Communiqué and Work Plan that included actions aimed at thwarting the illicit trafficking of nuclear or other radioactive materials.  We recognize that identifying nuclear smugglers, recovering nuclear and radiological material outside of regulatory control, and prosecuting those responsible are important and effective activities to help prevent terrorists from acquiring nuclear or other radioactive materials.  Making good on these pledges, on a voluntary basis we have taken the following actions individually and together.

Jordan, Canada, The Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Republic of Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Philippines, Sweden, Turkey, The United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom and The United States of America since or before the Washington Summit have taken steps to build national capacities to counter nuclear smuggling.  Although not universal to all countries in this list, the types of capabilities include increased law enforcement and intelligence efforts to investigate nuclear smuggling networks, increased use of radiation detection systems and measures to find materials outside of regulatory control at and inside borders, increased capability of nuclear forensics to trace material origin and illicit movement, and increased legal training for prosecutors to assure conviction as appropriate.  Jordan, Canada, The Czech Republic, Finland, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Republic of Korea, Lithuania, Philippines, Sweden, The United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom and The United States of America pledge to take steps towards building these capacities by the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit.

The Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Italy, The Republic of Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Philippines, Sweden, Turkey, The United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom, and The United States of America have passed new laws, regulations, guidance, or policies to combat illicit trafficking and Jordan, Canada, The Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Italy, The Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Sweden, The United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom and The United States of America have committed themselves to pass new laws, regulations, guidance, or policies by the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit.

Canada, The Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Republic of Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Philippines, Sweden, Turkey, The United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom and The United States of America recognize that nuclear smuggling networks can have international connections, and the consequent importance of bilateral, multilateral, and international cooperation as outlined in the Washington Work Plan, and have therefore shared information on nuclear smuggling cases with partner countries.

Jordan, Canada, The Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Republic of Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Philippines, Sweden, The United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom and The United States of America note the value of sharing lead information through INTERPOL as an effective mechanism for identifying nuclear smuggling networks in a timely manner and to enhance cooperation.  The United States of America has donated resources to INTERPOL’s Radiological and Nuclear Terrorism Prevention Unit or to help build counter nuclear smuggling capacities in other countries. Canada, Finland, France, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Japan, The Republic of Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Sweden, The United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom and The United States of America pledge to make resources and lessons drawn from experience available for counter nuclear smuggling capacity building projects by the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
March 27, 2012

Remarks by President Obama, President Medvedev of Russia, and President Nazarbayev of Kazakstan at Trilateral Announcement

Coex Center
Seoul, Republic of Korea

12:00 P.M. KST
 
PRESIDENT NAZARBAYEV:  (As interpreted.)  Well, probably as all of you know that Semipalatinsk nuclear test site was one of the largest nuclear test sites in the world, together with Nevada.  And about 500 nuclear tests have been carried out on this test site, 70 of them in the open air. 
 
And the polygon was closed by my first decree as the President of Kazakhstan 20 years ago, and since then, together with Russia and the United States, we have been working to rehabilitate the territory around the Semipalatinsk test site.  And since 2004, we were able to rehabilitate from radiation about 3,000 square kilometers of the polygon.  The total polluted area is about 40,000 square kilometers.  And as a result of tests in the past, about 1.5 million people have been radiated.
 
And this is a very good example of close collaboration when all three countries also work on getting rid of the military infrastructure on the polygon.  And you probably know that about 1,100 warheads have been deployed on military missiles on the territory of the polygon in military launching shafts.  And we closed that also, together with the help of Russian and American partners.  And we are very grateful, the people of Kazakhstan are very grateful for that assistance, and we hope that we'll be able to work together in the future for a safer world on nuclear non-proliferation.
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, I'm going to just make a very brief statement here.  We wanted to do this brief appearance to highlight one of the most significant examples of what we've been doing through this Nuclear Security Summit, and what our three countries have been able to accomplish through some painstaking cooperation over the last several years.
 
As President of Kazakhstan indicated, this was a major site for nuclear operations during the Cold War.  There was a lot of loose nuclear material that was vulnerable to potential smugglers, to potential infiltration.  And as a consequence of extraordinary cooperation between our three countries that actually predates my administration, but was accelerated as a consequence of this Nuclear Security Summit, we've been able to effectively lock down and secure all this vulnerable material.
 
So we have been able to do this in part because of the outstanding leadership of President Nazarbayev and the people of Kazakhstan.  We've also been able to do it because the United States and Russia over the last several years have shown ourselves to have a mutual interest in making sure that nuclear materials are secured and that they do not fall into the wrong hands.
 
And so this kind of multilateral cooperation is being duplicated as a consequence of this Nuclear Security Summit.  And it gives you a specific example of the kind of progress that we're making.  We're going to need to make more progress over the next several years.  But I am confident that we can actually meet the goal that we set in the first Washington summit, which is in four years to have made extraordinary progress in making sure that loose nuclear material is not vulnerable to smuggling or to potential terrorist plots.
 
PRESIDENT MEDVEDEV:  (As interpreted.)  Summits are held not only to conduct meetings, not only to shake hands, not only to declare good goals, but it is also held to demonstrate examples
concrete examples of cooperation.  I believe that this is precisely one of such concrete examples. 
 
From 2004, the three countries -- United States, Kazakhstan and Russia -- have been cooperating to eliminate the remnants of the past activities within the territory of the Semipalatinsk test site.  We were all aware of the threat coming from the test site.  And at the moment, now, we can state with confidence that all the threats have been liquidated, and that the Semipalatinsk test site can now develop in a new capacity.  The country of Kazakhstan can look into the future.  So I believe that this is a good example of practical cooperation that should be highlighted.
 
I would like to thank my partners, in particular President of Kazakhstan Nazarbayev, for his proactive stance and for creating favorable conditions to accomplish those goals.  The Russian Federation and the United States are precisely those countries which have a special responsibility for ensuring nuclear security of the world, and they managed to join efforts in this good example of cooperation. 
 
Although we're aware that the situation we had was the result of the mindset of the past that countries had, we managed to show this good example of cooperation, and such example I believe should multiply, should be reproduced, and should also lead other countries to ensure nuclear security.
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you very much.
 
Q    Mr. President, can I ask you quickly about the open mic?  Can you clarify what you meant by having flexibility on missile defense in a second term, what you wanted to have passed on to Mr. Putin?  And isn't it presumptuous to be talking about a second term?
 
PRESIDENT OBAMA:  First of all, are the mics on?  (Laughter.)  Look, what I said yesterday, Ben, is I think something that everybody in this room understands, which is -- I'll just go ahead and then you can translate at the end.
 
Arms control is extraordinarily complex, very technical, and the only way it gets done is if you can consult and build a strong basis of understanding both between countries as well as within countries.  And when you think about the New Start Treaty that Dmitry and I were able to hammer out and ultimately get ratified, that was a painstaking two-year process.  I don't think it's any surprise that you can't start that a few months before a presidential and congressional elections in the United States, and at a time when they just completed elections in Russia and they're in the process of a presidential transition where a new president is going to be coming in in a little less than two months.
 
So it was a very simple point, and one that essentially I repeated when I spoke to you guys yesterday, which is that we're going to spend the next nine, 10 months trying to work through some of the technical aspects of how we get past what is a major point of friction -- one of the primary points of friction between our two countries, which is this whole missile defense issue.  And it involves a lot of complicated issues.  If we can get our technical teams to clear out the underbrush, then hopefully, in 2013, there's a foundation to actually make some significant progress on this and a lot of other bilateral issues.
 
So I think everybody understands that -- if they haven't they haven't been listening to my speeches -- I want to reduce our nuclear stockpiles.  And one of the barriers to doing that is building trust and cooperation around missile defense issues.  And so this is not a matter of hiding the ball, I'm on record.  I made a speech about it to a whole bunch of Korean university students yesterday.  I want to see us, over time, gradually, systematically, reduce reliance on nuclear weapons.
 
And as Dmitry said, the United States and Russia, because of our history and because we are nuclear superpowers, have a special obligation.  That doesn't make it easy, because both countries are committed to their sovereignty and their defense.
 
And last point I'll make -- the only way I get this stuff done is if I'm consulting with the Pentagon, if I'm consulting with Congress, if I've got bipartisan support.  And frankly, the current environment is not conducive to those kinds of thoughtful consultations.  I think the stories you guys have been writing over the last 24 hours is probably pretty good evidence of that. I think we'll do better in 2013.
 
All right.  Thanks, guys.
 
END                    
12:16 P.M. KST
 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
March 26, 2012

Joint Statement of the Presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and the United States of America Regarding the Trilateral Cooperation at the Former Semipalatinsk Test Site

The Presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and the United States of America have committed to combat the threat of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism.

Since 2004 our three countries have been collaborating to implement a number of projects aimed at elimination of the remnants of the past nuclear testing activities within the territory of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site to bring it to a safe and secure state. The Presidents of Kazakhstan, Russia and the United States of America have personally supervised the realization of these goals.

A significant volume of work has been accomplished by now. As a result of application of modern physical and technical means the level of security at the former site has been substantially enhanced.

This work is nearly complete and we consider it a highly successful example of the trilateral cooperation representing our shared commitment to nuclear security and non-proliferation.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
March 26, 2012

Remarks by President Obama at Opening Plenary Session of the Nuclear Security Summit

Coex Center
Seoul, Republic of Korea

9:22 A.M. KST

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you very much, President Lee, for welcoming us here today and for the extraordinary hospitality and accommodations that have been provided by the Republic of Korea. We are very grateful to you, and we are grateful to the Korean people for the outstanding leadership in bringing us here together in Seoul.

Like the G20 summit two years ago, this gathering is a tribute to the nations that contribute to security and peace that's playing a leading role around the globe and that's taking its rightful place on the world stage.  When I hosted the first Nuclear Security Summit two years ago in Washington, there were those who questioned whether our nations could summon the will to confront one of the gravest dangers of our time.  In part because it involves a lot of technical issues, in part because the world was still grappling with a whole host of other issues like the economy and the global recession, there was some skepticism that we would be able to sustain an effort around this topic.  But that's exactly what we've done. 

We've agreed that nuclear terrorism is one of the most urgent and serious threats to global security.  We agreed to the goal of securing the world's nuclear materials in four years.  We committed ourselves to specific and concrete actions.  And to get this done, we agreed a new effort of sustained and effective international cooperation was required, that we would need to create an architecture in which we could share best practices, help to enforce many of the commitments that we had already made, and continue to improve every aspect of this issue.

Over the past two years, the questions have been different
-- would we back up our words with deeds; would we sustain our cooperation.  Today, here in Seoul, we can answer with a resounding yes.  We are fulfilling the commitments we made in Washington.  We are improving security at our nuclear facilities. We are forging new partnerships.  We are removing nuclear materials, and in some cases, getting rid of these materials entirely.  And as a result, more of the world's nuclear materials will never fall into the hands of terrorists who would gladly use them against us.

Of course, what's also undeniable is that the threat remains.  There are still too many bad actors in search of these dangerous materials, and these dangerous materials are still vulnerable in too many places.  It would not take much -- just a handful or so of these materials -- to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people.  And that's not an exaggeration; that's the reality that we face.

And that's why what's required continues to be a serious and sustained effort, and why I'm so encouraged by the excellent participation today, which is, again, a testimony to President Lee's leadership.  More nations have come to the table -- this time, more than 50 -- not to talk, but to take action.  As a consequence of this summit, more commitments will be made -- more real, tangible steps.  As a consequence, more of our citizens will be safer from the danger of nuclear terrorism.

I think we all understand that no one nation can do this alone.  This is one of those challenges in our interconnected world that can only be met when we work as an international community.  And what we did in Washington, what we're now doing in Korea, becomes part of a larger global architecture designed to reduce the dangers of nuclear weapons and nuclear terrorism, but also allows us then to more safely and effectively pursue peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

So, again, I want to thank President Lee for his leadership. I want to thank all the leaders who are participating here today. I know people's schedules are extraordinarily busy.  We've come a long way in a very short time, and that should encourage us.  And that should not lead us to complacency, however; it should fortify our will as we continue to deal with these issues. 

I believe we can maintain that will and that focus.  I believe we must, because the security of the world depends on the actions that we take.

So, President Lee, thank you again.

END                    
9:27 A.M. KST 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
March 26, 2012

Joint Statement on Quadrilateral Cooperation on High-density Low-enriched Uranium Fuel Production

We, the leaders of Belgium, France, the United States and the Republic of Korea gathered in Seoul on the occasion of the Second Nuclear Security Summit recognize that the ultimate goal of nuclear security is advanced by minimizing highly-enriched uranium (HEU) in civilian use, which is declared in the Washington Communique and the Work Plan and is also a key issue on the agenda of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.

In this regard expressing our strong commitment to achieving the nuclear security objectives and noting the continued use of civilian HEU as research reactor fuel, we are cooperating on utilizing high-density low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel powder production technology in the following ways as part of an effort to convert research reactors from HEU fuel to LEU fuel.

1. The United States will provide by the end of 2012 a sufficient amount of LEU, approximately 100 kg, for the Republic of Korea to manufacture approximately 100kg of atomized uranium molybdenum (U-Mo) powder within the year 2013 using the centrifugal atomizing technology developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

2. The Republic of Korea will provide this U-Mo powder to the French fabricator AREVA CERCA for its use in the manufacture of high-density U-Mo fuel lead test assemblies.

3. France and Belgium will load this U-Mo fuel into their high performance research reactors once an appropriate form of high-density U-Mo dispersion type of fuel has been qualified.

4. Following the loading of U-Mo fuel, our experts will assess the performance of the fuel and other technical aspects of this project, including the function and efficiency of the U-Mo fuel and if the result proves satisfactory, we intend to further cooperate in sharing adequate information and providing necessary assistance to countries seeking to convert reactors from HEU fuel to LEU fuel.

We express our shared confidence that this project, which is based on international cooperation on high-density LEU fuel production technology developed with the support of the Republic of Korea, the United States, France and Belgium, contributes directly to the ultimate goal of minimizing HEU in civilian use.  Stressing that cooperation and support from the international community are crucial for promoting the universal use of LEU-based U-Mo fuel, we agree to work together to share the benefits of this technology.

Discussing the Global Economy and Nuclear Security in Seoul

Matt Compton
Matt Compton
March 26, 2012
05:15 PM EDT
The Korean trade agreement will support an estimated 70,000 jobs

Tomorrow, President Obama will head home from South Korea -- after a busy three days of diplomatic meetings and discussions of nuclear security.

At a talk today with students at Hankuk University, the President outlined the reasons why he's made the issue such a major priority:

We’re building an international architecture that can ensure nuclear safety.  But we’re under no illusions. We know that nuclear material, enough for many weapons, is still being stored without adequate protection. And we know that terrorists and criminal gangs are still trying to get their hands on it -- as well as radioactive material for a dirty bomb. We know that just the smallest amount of plutonium -- about the size of an apple -- could kill hundreds of thousands and spark a global crisis. The danger of nuclear terrorism remains one of the greatest threats to global security. And that's why here in Seoul, we need to keep at it.

This is the President's third official visit to South Korea, and as he pointed out today, he's been to Seoul more than any other capital. That fact obviously speaks to the strength of the political relationship between our two nations, but it also highlights our growing economic ties.

That's why President Obama worked so hard to pass the U.S.-Korea Trade Agreement -- which will help to support an estimated 70,000 jobs in the years ahead and increase U.S. GDP by at least $11 billion due to increased exports of goods.

Related Topics: Economy, Nonproliferation, Foreign Policy

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
March 26, 2012

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

  • Brett H. McGurk – Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq, Department of State
  • Michele J. Sison – Ambassador to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives, Department of State

President Obama said, “Our nation will be greatly served by the talent and expertise these individuals bring to their new roles.  I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Brett H. McGurk, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq, Department of State
Brett H. McGurk is currently senior advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq.  Previously, he served as a senior advisor to Ambassadors Ryan Crocker and Christopher Hill in Baghdad.  From 2005 to 2009, Mr. McGurk served on the National Security Council, initially as Director for Iraq and later as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan.  Prior to 2005, he was a legal advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.  He also worked as an International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.  From 2001 to 2002, he served as a law clerk for Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States.  Previously, Mr. McGurk was a law clerk for Judge Dennis Jacobs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Judge Gerard Lynch of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  He received a B.A. from the University of Connecticut and a J.D. from Columbia University.

Ambassador Michele J. Sison, Nominee for Ambassador to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives, Department of State
Ambassador Michele J. Sison, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, is currently the Assistant Chief of Mission for Law Enforcement and Rule of Law Assistance in Baghdad, Iraq.  From 2008 to 2010, she was Ambassador to the Republic of Lebanon.  She was Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2004 to 2008 and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs from 2002 to 2004.  Ambassador Sison’s prior assignments include:  Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan; Consul General in Chennai, India; Consul General in Douala, Cameroon; and Director of Career Development and Assignments in the Department of State’s Bureau of Human Resources.  Additional overseas assignments include roles at the U.S. Embassies in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, and Haiti.  Ambassador Sison received a B.A. from Wellesley College.