UN Head Calls for International Nuclear Summit

With the Fukushima plant still unsafe and the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster next week, the United Nations urges a 'top-to-bottom' nuclear safety review.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for a worldwide review of nuclear safety standards as he visited Ukraine for the 25th anniversary of the disastrous Chernobyl meltdown. With the Fukushimia Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan leaking radiation and unlikely to be secured until the end of the year, Ki-moon said all countries need a “top-to-bottom” review of their nuclear-safety policies to plan for any natural and man-made disasters. The UN chief endorsed a summit in June proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency to review lessons from a fact-finding mission in Fukushima, and encouraged a follow-up session for heads of state in September.