Russia calls for better mechanism of nuke disaster notification

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia calls on the United Nations to improve the international mechanism of nuclear disaster notification, Russia’s envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin said at a UN General Assembly session, according to RIA Novosti.

“We are firmly convinced that we should learn certain lessons from the situation with the Fukushima-1 NPP accident to prevent such things in the future,” he said during discussions on the role of the International Nuclear Energy Agency. “One of the most evident lessons of the disaster is that the international community should improve international legal norms, as well as technological and organizational aspects of nuclear security.”

He said that Russia has put forward amendments to the Convention on Nuclear Safety and the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident.

“In addition, Russia also introduced proposals to improve IAEA safety norms. We hope that our initiatives will gain widespread support and will be brought into life,” the Russian diplomat added.

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused a partial meltdown at three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Radiation leaked into the atmosphere, soil and seawater, making the accident the world's worst nuclear disaster after Chernobyl.