63 nations to sign new UN nuclear terrorism treaty

UNITED NATIONS - Sixty-three nations have agreed to sign a new treaty against nuclear terrorism next week during a world summit in New York, UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel said.

The treaty, which would oblige governments to punish those who illegally possess atomic devices or radioactive materials, was approved by the 191-nation UN General Assembly on April 13 after seven years of drafting.

The accord is first global anti-terrorism convention since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Called the "International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism," it is meant to stop clandestine networks from using or possessing nuclear weapons.

Once it is opened for signature, it must then be ratified by at least 22 nations before it can become international law.

Russia called for such a treaty in 1998 to keep nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorist groups. At the time, Alexander Lebed, then the Russian national security chief, said Moscow could not account for about 100 suitcase-sized nuclear arms.

It obligates governments to prosecute or extradite individuals who possess radioactive materials or nuclear devices or those who threaten others while possessing such materials.

- REUTERS