Three Nation Deal on Mexico's Weapons Grade Uranium

Read the White House fact sheet on the Nuclear Security Summit here. You'll find factoids such as this: This is the first time since 1945 that a U.S. President has hosted so many world leaders, 47 nations in all; more than 2000 tons of plutonium and highly enriched uranium exist in dozens of countries; and there have been 18 documented cases of theft or loss of highly enriched uranium or plutonium. Obama will hold a press conference on the summit today at 4:30 pm eastern. It will be live streamed at WhiteHouse.gov.

At the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., Mexico, the United States, and Canada reached agreement to work together, along with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to convert the fuel in Mexico’s research reactor. President Calderon expressed "the strong commitment of Mexico to prevent and suppress nuclear terrorism; with this kind of cooperation with the IAEA and our North American partners, we definitely contribute to reducing the risks associated with illicit trafficking of nuclear materials."

The three countries acknowledged that this project also provides an important step towards the replacement of the research reactor with a new low-enriched uranium fuelled reactor in support of Mexico’s nuclear energy development.

The conversion of the reactor’s use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel will enable the elimination of all the remaining highly enriched uranium from Mexico. This effort, a specific outcome of Nuclear Security Summit, will be completed under the auspices of the IAEA. It will further strengthen nuclear security on the North American continent.

President Obama indicated, "I welcome this critical step forward, which is a signal of our strong trilateral partnership, and our shared commitment to nuclear security in North America." Prime Minister Harper added that "this nuclear security project demonstrates that collective action can deliver concrete results".

This decision to eliminate the remaining highly enriched uranium reaffirms Mexico’s leadership in nuclear security and nonproliferation and serves as an example for other nations to follow.