IAEA to hold meeting on Monday

The International Atomic Energy Agency will start its board meeting in Vienna, Austria on Monday. Members will discuss a draft action plan to secure the safety of nuclear power plants in the world. The raft includes a provision that would allow the IAEA to conduct regular safety assessments of the nuclear power plants of member countries on a voluntary basis. Another item in the draft plan calls for the IAEA to confirm safety measures and designs of nuclear power plants of countries planning to build the plants, if the countries request such information. Germany and Switzerland want the safety assessments to be compulsory. But countries including the United States and Britain are opposed and insist on voluntary assessments only. Germany and Switzerland are moving away from nuclear energy while the United States and Britain are still promoting its use.