Organisations like Al Qaeda aiming at nuclear weapons: Obama

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Apr 12 (PTI) US President Barack Obama has
said that terrorist organisations like Al Qaeda are aiming at
laying their hands on nuclear weapons, which would be
catastrophic for the world.
"The central focus of this nuclear summit is the fact
that the single biggest threat to US security, both short
term, medium term and long term, would be the possibility of a
terrorist organisation obtaining a nuclear weapon," Obama told
reporters in between his series of bilateral meetings with
world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"So far today I've already met with Prime Minister Singh
of India, as well as President of Kazakhstan, and now we are
meeting with the President of South Africa," Obama said.
Later he met the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yusuf Raza
Gilani. All the meetings were held at the Blair House across
the White House.
Nuclear terrorism, Obama said, is something that could
change the security landscape of this country and around the
world for years to come.
"If there was ever a detonation in New York City, or
London, or Johannesburg, the ramifications economically,
politically, and from a security perspective would be
devastating," he asserted.
"We know that organisations like al Qaeda are in the
process of trying to secure a nuclear weapon -- a weapon of
mass destruction that they have no compunction at using," he
said.
"Unfortunately, we have a situation in which there is a
lot of loose nuclear material around the world. And so the
central focus for this summit is getting the international
community on the path in which we are locking down that
nuclear material in a very specific time frame with a specific
work plan," Obama said.
"One of the things that I'm very pleased about is that
countries have embraced this goal and they're coming to this
summit, not just talking about general statements of support
but rather very specific approaches to how we can solve this
profound international problem," he said.
Praising South Africa for deciding not to go ahead with
its nuclear weapons programme Obama said, "I wanted to
especially single out South Africa because South Africa is
singular in having had a nuclear weapon programme, had moved
forward on it, and then decided this was not the right path;
dismantled it; and has been a strong, effective leader in the
international community around non-proliferation issues". PTI
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