WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana today signed an agreement to begin a cooperative effort to detect, deter, and interdict illicit smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu was in attendance. The agreement came on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit, in Washington, D.C.
The agreement paves the way for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to work with Argentine Customs to install radiation detection equipment and associated infrastructure at the Port of Buenos Aires.
The Megaports Agreement solidifies the United States’ and Argentina’s joint commitment to the safety and security of our nations. As part of NNSA’s Second Line of Defense Program’s Megaports Initiative, this agreement will help NNSA meet its goal of equipping 100 ports with radiation detection equipment.
The Megaports Initiative provides radiation detection equipment, training, and technical support to key international seaports to scan cargo containers for nuclear and other radioactive materials. The installation of radiation detection systems in Argentina represents a significant step forward for the Megaports Initiative, which is now operational at 30 ports around the world. Work is underway at additional ports in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
For more information on NNSA’s Megaports Initiative, go here:
http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/nuclear_nonproliferation/1641.htm .
