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Summary
US President Barack Obama said that the risk of a nuclear attack has increased as terrorists seek nuclear materials. Speaking Tuesday on the final day of a two-day nuclear summit, the US president said even though the threat of nuclear war between nations has decreased, terrorist groups like al-Qaida are working to acquire nuclear materials. Obama said the new nuclear threat facing the world after the end of the Cold War is a cruel irony of history. He warned that world leaders must act now and not simply talk about securing nuclear materials. The 47 countries participating in the summit in Washington are expected to issue a joint declaration pledging to secure materials over the next four years. The US president also announced Tuesday that South Korea will host the next nuclear summit in two years. Obama will hold one-on-one meetings later Tuesday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to sign a protocol with Russia Tuesday on eliminating excess weapons-grade plutonium from defense programs.
