Senior officials of 49 countries are holding hectic discussions to prepare a strategy to counter the threats of nuclear terrorism. The two-day deliberations, which began on Monday in New Delhi, will prepare a draft communiqué for the nuclear security summit to be held in Seoul, South Korea in March this year.

The officials are expected to come out with a blueprint for nuclear security and safety amid persistent concerns about clandestine proliferation and the danger of weapons falling into the hands of terrorists and radicals. The ‘sherpas’ or personal representatives of heads of governments of these countries and officials from four multilateral organisations are likely to evolve concrete steps to thwart nuclear terrorism.

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai expressed confidence that further progress will be made on the draft communiqué for the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul. The Seoul summit will be watched closely for the measures it comes out with to restore the confidence of the international community in nuclear energy that was badly shaken after the Fukushima radiation disaster in Japan in March last year.