International Conference on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe was held in Luxembourg on May 24-25, 2007. European Jewish Fund was among the organizing parties of the conference.
The level of its participants made the Conference the largest and most authoritative event to address the issue of nuclear non-proliferation over the last decade.
Leading and most authoritative experts from 14 nations participated, including Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Sergey Kirienko, Head of the Russian Federal Agency for Atomic Energy, former Prime Minister of the Russian Federation; Rolf Ekeus, High Commissioner on National Minorities, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; Nikolay Laverov, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences; William Perry, Member of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (WMDC), Professor (Stanford University), former US Secretary of Defense; HANS BLIX Chairman, WMDC, former IAEA Director General.
Greetings to the participants were sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Israel Avigdor Liberman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affaires of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg Jean Asselborn.
The Conference have received wide coverage by leading media outlets around the world, including AP, AFP, BBC, CNN, DPA, EuroNews, Reuters, Time, The Independent, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Russian news agencies ITAR-TASS, RIA «Novosti», Interfax, RBC, newspapers «Rossiyskaya Gazeta», «Kommersant», «Vedomosti», «Izvestia», «Moskovskie novosti», «Nezavisimaya gazeta» and many others.
The Luxembourg forum was a scientific and practical gathering. Conference participants discussed new challenges and threats to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and its regime, as well as the outlook for its development as the regime’s supporting framework; the threat of nuclear terrorism; the issue of control over nuclear technologies and possible ways of international cooperation in this area; enhancement of the IAEA safeguards and export control mechanisms; and existing situation in the rogue states and regions (Middle East, Korean Peninsula and South Asia).
The Conference originally differed from many of that kind, as it was aimed at formulating specific proposals and recommendations on dealing with the nuclear security issue. Scientists and experts prepared the conclusive document of the Conference – the Declaration. It contains “the Road Map” – proposals to avoid collapse of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, as well as a number of initiatives to resolve nuclear issues. The declaration will be circulated to world leaders and prominent politicians and to influential international organizations.
One of main results of the Conference was the decision to create a permanent Luxembourg forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe with an executive body and expert council should be founded. 43 experts has joined the Forum, putting their signatures on the Declaration. The Forum activity will contribute to the Declaration Implementation by organizing conferences, workshops, working groups meetings. Leaders of Great Powers, UN Secretary General, leadership of NATO, OSCE, CSTO, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other authoritative organizations will be provided for the outcomes of the Luxembourg Forum meetings.
