IAEA chief calls for strengthening of nuclear safety
0 
Japan's nuclear crisis should not stem the development of peaceful use of nuclear power, but safety should be further strengthened, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano said here Thursday.
"The Fukushima Daiichi accident was a very serious one. Safety must be strengthened," Amano told a news conference at the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Many countries will find nuclear power an important option, said Amano, so the practical way is to "make further efforts to strengthen the safety of nuclear power."
The nuclear crisis in Japan is going on. So the most important thing up to now is to stabilize the reactors, and put an end to the accident, said Amano.
At the same time, he said, it is time to look into the future. "That's why I have proposed a ministerial meeting in June in Vienna at our headquarters."
"The purposes of the meeting is to conduct an initial assessment of the accident, a primary review of the international response and safety of nuclear power plants," he added.
Before the IAEA ministerial meeting in June, the OECD would hold a meeting in Paris at the request of the Group of 8 and the Group of 20, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria announced at the same news conference.
