IAEA conventions on nuclear safety provide for co-operation in wake of nuclear accident.

• Position: International Atomic Energy Agency

IAEA conventions on nuclear safety provide for co-operation in wake of nuclear accident

Two international Conventions formulatedthrough the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to strengthen international cooperation on nuclear safety and environmental protection have been signed by 51 countries.

One instrument, committing partiesto provide early notification of and information about nuclear accidents with possible transboundary effects, will enter into force by 27 October 1986. The other binds signatories to endeavour to provide assistance in the event of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency.

The two instruments were openedfor signature on 26 September, after being adopted by consensus at the first special session of the IAFA General Conference (Vienna, 24-26 September). The session culminated a series of meetings on nuclear safety issues organized by the IAEA in response to the Chernobyl nuclear power station accident in the Ukrainian SSR in April 1986. Some 640 delegates from 94 countries and 27 national and international organizations participated.

The five nuclear-weapon States--China,France, Soviet Union, United Kingdom and United States--indicated during discussion of the drafts that they would nofify other States in the event of accidents involving military use of nuclear energy, as well as accidents at civilian nuclear facilities.

The new Conventions "filled gapsin the international legal framework for response to emergency situations", according to IAEA Director-General Hans Blix.

The drafts were forwarded to thespecial session by the IAEA Board of Governors, which met at the Agency's Vienna headquarters on 22 and 23 September. The texts were prepared at a four-week meeting of 283 technical experts from 62 countries and 10 international organizations (Vienna, 21 July-15 August).

Achieving agreement on the instrumentswith such speed and cooperation was "remarkable", the Chairman of the expert meeting, Lodewijk H.J.B. van Gorkom of the Netherlands, told the press on 15 August. From the beginning of the meeting, he observed, there had been "the political will of all the countries participating, from East and West, North and South, to arrive at a consensus on the drafts of the two conventions. There has been virtually no basic conflict, no deep-seated problems."

Reaching consensus in only fourweeks was very unusual, according to Mr. van Gorkom, who cited another recent Agency convention that had taken two...