Chief negotiator: Nuclear security summit to produce strong communique

The Netherlands is hopeful the nuclear security summit (NSS) taking place in the Hague next month will end with a strong final communique, said Piet de Klerk, chief negotiator of the summit, on Monday. The Netherlands will be hosting the NSS on March 24 and 25, bringing together 53 countries, international organizations, leaders and delegates. "With one more month to go before the summit starts, we have made great progress in the negotiations," De Klerk said at a press briefing. The goal of the summit is to sign agreements on reducing the amount of dangerous nuclear material in the world, improving the security of all nuclear material and radioactive sources and improving international cooperation. The summits were initiated by U.S. President Barack Obama, who hosted the first NSS in Washington D.C. in 2010. Ever since, the summits have helped secure dangerous nuclear material, such as highly enriched uranium and plutonium.