National Statement: Morocco
/Kingdom of Morocco
4th Nuclear Security Summit
National Statement
« National, International and Institutional Actions to enhance Nuclear Security »
Washington, March 31st- April 1st, 2016
Mr. Chair,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
The Kingdom of Morocco expresses it thanks to the United States of America for hosting the fourth Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC.
Today more than ever the potential use of nuclear arms or nuclear components has become a real threat to international peace and security. This threat is no longer theoretical or hypothetical, but is a reality.
There are many indications that point to the fact that terrorists have attempted or will attempt to acquire nuclear materials. Such a scenario is terrifying.
The use of radioactive materials to build even the toughest traditional nuclear bomb will have tragic human, economic, and environmental consequences.
The use of radioactive materials to build even tough nuclear traditional bomb will have human, economical and environmental tragic consequences.
Mr. Chair,
Six years after the first Washington Summit held in 2010, we meet today to assess the various common efforts made in the field of nuclear security, in accordance with the “Washington Action Plan” and all issued Summit communiqués.
The Kingdom of Morocco has taken several concrete measures to implement this action plan into its national strategy to combat terrorism, a strategy that is also in accordance with the guidelines of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI. These guidelines call for a proactive and multidimensional approach to combat terrorism and extremism through national measures that will contribute to strengthening of the international nuclear security arsenal.
At the national level, Morocco adopted the following national measures:
1. Strengthening the legal framework relating to nuclear safety and security through the adoption of law 142-12 on nuclear and radiological safety and security, on September18th, 2014;
2. Submission on July 28th, 2015 to the UNSC committee established through Resolution 1540 of a national report. The report outlines the new approach that implements all of the provisions as called for by UNSC resolutions 1540 (2004) and 1977 (2011);
3. Adhesion to all international conventions aimed at strengthening nuclear security and safety. Morocco ratified on October 18th, 2015, the Amendment of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM);
4. Set-up of « the Moroccan Agency for Safety and Security in Nuclear and Radiological Fields ».
As for the various diversified contributions that Morocco has made to strengthening the international nuclear security regime, the following actions were undertaken;
1. An exemplary cooperation between Morocco and Spain has allowed both countries to elaborated an action plan in support of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) to be endorsed during this Summit;
2. The “Gate to Africa” exercise was co-organized by the Kingdoms of Morocco and Spain to evaluate the capacity of both countries to cooperate jointly in a simulation response exercise. This exercise scenario involves a terrorist act during the transportation of radioactive materials from the port of Algeciras in southern Spain to the port of Tangier-Med in northern Morocco. The outcomes and recommendations of “Gate to Africa” will be shared and presented during this Summit and during the IAEA meeting;
3. Morocco has also elaborated, since its chairmanship of the GICNT working group on the response and mitigation in 2011, a document on “Fundamentals for establishing and maintaining a nuclear security response framework: A GICNT practice guide.” that was endorsed, by acclamation, during the political meeting of the GICNT, held in Helsinki (June 2015).
4. This document was based on the results of the Morocco-Spain joint exercise “Remex 2013” held in Madrid (April 2013) and the international exercise “Convex3” named “Bab al Maghrib,” organized in Rabat, in cooperation with the IAEA, on November 27th-28th, 2013;
5. The nuclear security center of excellence has collaborated with the IAEA and the US Department of Energy in Rabat to organize several training sessions for experts from across Africa and the Middle East, for the sake to promote the nuclear security culture.
Mr. Chair,
The contribution of the Kingdom of Morocco to the strengthening of the international nuclear security system reflects Morocco’s continued commitment to the international efforts undertaken in this regard in full alignment with the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and his continued call for the reinforcement of multilateral actions through a full respect of the right to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and the provisions of non-proliferation regime.