ISIS can be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons only by joint efforts of all countries - Kokoshin
MOSCOW. May 28 (Interfax-AVN) - The intention of the terrorist organization Islamic State to obtain nuclear weapons should not be exaggerated, but it should not be underestimated, either, Andrei Kokoshin, dean of the Global Policy Department at Moscow State University and former secretary of the Russian Security Council, has said.
"No doubt, some terrorist organizations would be willing to obtain ready nuclear weapons in the form of a specific product or materials for making a 'dirty bomb.' This has been discussed for a long time. To prevent that there needs to be very close interaction between different countries of the world because such terrorism will have grave consequences," Kokoshin told Interfax-AVN on Thursday.
Kokoshin said that attempts have been made to obtain such materials, specifically by Libya. "We know that a country such as Pakistan had problems with the dissemination of nuclear technologies. Specifically, the Libyan administration bought such technologies from Pakistan despite all existing restrictions. However, the Libyan administration then gave up and disclosed its secrets in this regard," Kokoshin said.
Kokoshin said it is perfectly obvious that to prevent such events there is a need for active and diverse joint efforts by different countries, primarily countries that have nuclear weapons.
"Many experts, foreign and domestic, say that the Russian Federation and the U.S. have the highest security standards for operating and storing nuclear weapons. And that these standards need to be applied to other countries, specifically, the country such as Pakistan, which many call a potential source of unauthorized dissemination of nuclear technologies," Kokoshin said.
Kokoshin said the current atmosphere in Russian-U.S. relations is, unfortunately, not the most favorable. "It's not Russia's fault. Nevertheless, we need to work together on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, including on preventing them from falling into the hands of terrorist organizations. We need to work together on any conditions," Kokoshin said.
According to earlier reports, Islamic State issued a statement saying it would obtain nuclear weapons from Pakistan within a year. The terrorist organization made this statement in its propaganda magazine.
