UGA School of Law\u27s Dean Rusk Center co-hosts nuclear security and counterterrorism workshop in Austria

Writer/Contact: Dmitriy Nikonov, 706/542-2985, d.nikonov@cits.uga.edu Athens, Ga. – The Center for International Trade and Security at the University of Georgia, jointly with the UGA Dean Rusk Center and the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, will hold an advanced research workshop entitled “Legal Frameworks for Strengthening Nuclear Security and Combating Nuclear Terrorism” in Vienna, Austria, Jan. 28-29. More than 80 international experts in the fields of nuclear law, antiterrorism and nuclear security will participate in the workshop. The experts include officials from NATO, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, diplomatic missions, national nuclear regulatory bodies, relevant government authorities, nongovernmental organizations and academia from more than 20 countries. According to Igor Khripunov, interim director of the Center for International Trade and Security, despite the development of new approaches to strengthen nuclear security and combat the threat of nuclear terrorism in the years following Sept. 11, 2001, considerable gaps and inconsistencies in nuclear security remain. The workshop is designed to address these gaps and inconsistencies and offer recommendations to national governments and international organizations. Following the workshop in Vienna, a formal set of recommendations will be provided for the April 2010 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. In addition, organizers plan to release an executive report of workshop findings at separate press briefings in Moscow and Washington prior to the summit in April. Sponsors of the workshop include NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Program, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, the UGA School for Public and International Affairs, the UGA School of Law, the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the World Institute for Nuclear Security and other partners. In addition to the Jan. 28-29 workshop, CITS is partnering with the World Institute for Nuclear Security in hosting a one-day workshop on Jan. 27 in Vienna on the legal liability for the nuclear industry resulting from nuclear security incidents and acts of nuclear terrorism. More information on the Center for International Trade and Security is available at http://uga.edu/cits/. #