REVISING THE CONVENTON ON THE PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF NUCLEAR

This is the third in a series of papers describing the effort at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to make progress toward revision of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM). The papers report on progress from the U.S. perspective. They reflect the U.S. position that it is essential to revise the CPPNM so that it may become the key instrument for identifying essential elements of effective State systems for the physical protection of nuclear material and nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes. The first paper, given at the INMM 41st Annual Meeting, described the initial phase of the effort from November 1999 to June 2000. The second paper, given at the 42nd INMM Annual Meeting, described progress between June 2000 and June 2001, including the Informal Open-Ended Expert Meeting’s May 2001 recommendation concerning CPPNM revision. That recommendation invited Director General ElBaradei to convene an Open-Ended Drafting Group of legal and technical experts to prepare a proposal for a well-defined amendment to the convention. The Director General accepted that invitation and the Drafting Group held its first meeting in December 2001. Even though the May 2001 recommendation enjoyed consensus, skepticism still remained as to whether a Diplomatic Conference would ever be convened. The events of September 11, 2001 did much to diminish that skepticism and the goal of a Diplomatic Conference in 2002 may be within reach. In this third report, progress toward that goal is described. The report also looks ahead to the implications of a revised CPPNM for implementation of a strengthened international physical protection regime.