PM on four-day visit to S Korea, attend N-security Summit

Steps to strengthen nuclear security and measures to prevent terrorists getting access to atomic weapons will top the agenda of 58 world leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in Seoul next week.

Steps to strengthen nuclear security and measures to prevent terrorists getting access to atomic weapons will top the agenda of 58 world leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in Seoul next week.

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Singh will embark on a four-day visit to South Korea on Saturday to participate in the second Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) and strengthen ties with the Asian economic partner.

"The main objective of the Summit has been high-level attention on the global threat posed by nuclear terrorism and the measures that are required to prevent terrorists and other non-state actors from gaining access to sensitive nuclear materials and technologies," foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters in New Delhi.

The NSS is intended to take stock of the progress in implementing the Communique and Work Plan of the first Summit held in Washington in 2010 "as well as agree on new measures that would be reflected in the Summit Communique", Mathai said.

"A number of countries are expected to speak on steps taken to strengthen nuclear security after the Washington Summit in the form of national progress reports. These will be made public during the Summit," he said.

Mathai said India was "committed" to the success of the Summit and the Prime Minister's participation in the Seoul summit, as also the Washington summit, was a "demonstration of our high-level commitment".

Ahead of the summit, Singh will be on a two-day official visit to South Korea to strengthen the strategic relationship with the Asian economic partner.

This will be the second official visit by an Indian Prime Minister to South Korea after the visit of PV Narasimha Rao in 1993.