Washington Readies for Huge Nuclear Summit

The nation's capital is gearing up for a very busy couple of days. President Obama opens a summit on nuclear security Monday with dozens of world leaders scheduled to attend. Mr. Obama said Sunday that he was pleased by their sense of urgency and warned that al Qaeda wouldn't hesitate to use a nuclear weapon if it could, as CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.

In Washington, security has been stepped up at hotels, embassies and meeting sites of the nuclear security summit. With 47 governments attending, it's thought to be the biggest gathering of world leaders ever in the nation's capital.

Today, President Obama met one-on-one with leaders from several nations, including India and Pakistan; both have nuclear weapons.

Top administration officials appeared on news talk shows to promote the summit's focus on securing nuclear materials - the so-called "loose nukes."

By one estimate there's enough weapons usable nuclear material to build more than 120,000 nuclear bombs.

The big fear is that terrorists could get their hands on some of it. The threat is examined in a new documentary about nuclear weapons, "Nuclear Tipping Point."

"Terrorist groups like al Qaeda - but not limited to al Qaeda - are seeking this nuclear material and would like to make a weapon," former senator and nuclear security expert Sam Nunn says in the documentary. "They've said so and I believe them."

Not invited to the summit are countries perceived as dangerous or uncooperative such as Iran which is trying to build a nuclear weapon, and North Korea, which has nuclear warheads.

But, "This administration can't address the Iran and North Korea threats alone," said Corey Hinderstein of the Nuclear Threat Initiative. "They have to build an international consensus."

Hinderstein says that's just what the two-day summit will help do.

Analysts say president Obama is not on track to fulfill his campaign pledge of securing all loose nuclear material by the end of his first term, but this summit is a key milestone along the way.

List of World Leaders Attending the Summit
Analysis: Obama Seeks Legacy on Reducing World's Nukes

[liferocks3]

Its so ironic that It was the US who closed its eyes on Chinese giving nukes to Pakistan as they required Pakistan support during Afghan war against Soviets. They also didnt stop AQ Khan Nuclear walmart to profilete Nukes to Iran, Libya, NoKo and they want to talk about reduce the nuclear weapons. I think that if a nuke gets loose most probaly to happen with pakistan nukes you can see a mushroom cloud over Israle or India, the terrorist still cant launch it upto NYC.

[Ron-in-Siberia]

Funny how CBS has chosen to totally ignore the fact that Israel's PM has pulled out of the summit as he's afraid of questions that will be asked about Israel's refusal to sign the NPT. American media ignores the fact that Israel is the only nuclear power in the Middle East and the total hypocrisy of calls for Iran to be denied what Israel has had for four decades. Every other country in the Middle East, including Iran, wants a nuclear-free Middle East. Only Israel is the problem. As usual.

[retm-w]

Ron-in-Siberia

Look at the bottom right of this article. The article on Israels PM pulling out is right there under discussed.

[jgg000101]

actually, israel is sending a representative, just not netanyahu. And where did you get your information that iran wants a nuclear-free middle east? Frankly, if I were israel, surrounded by islamic countries , one of which threatens "death to israel", with my back to the sea, I wouldn't be in any rush to surrender any of my defenses, either.