Arroyo leaves for Washington, DC to attend nuclear security summit

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo left Monday morning for Washington, D.C. to join 43 other world leaders attending the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) hosted by the United States government. Mrs. Arroyo boarded a chartered Philippine Airlines PR-001 flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 8:40 a.m., a Malacañang statement said. Officials accompanying her included Trade Secretary Jesli Lapus and Press Secretary Crispulo Icban Jr. Sending her off were Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit. Under the invitation of US President Barack Obama, President Arroyo and 43 other heads of state will sit down for the two-day summit to discuss the threat posed by illegal diversion of nuclear materials and to develop steps to secure vulnerable nuclear materials, combat nuclear smuggling, and deter, detect, and disrupt attempts at nuclear terrorism. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the group will also focus on "promoting nuclear security at the national, regional, and global levels." The Philippines is a staunch supporter of global efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism with millions of Filipinos living and working in many parts of the world. "As President Arroyo remains fully committed towards protecting its nationals abroad, she intends to actively cooperate with other leaders to squarely face the challenge posed by nuclear terrorism," the DFA said. It added the Philippines considers the NSS as a complement to ongoing efforts and initiatives to rid the world of nuclear weapons. The NSS comes ahead of the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference which the Philippines will preside at the United Nations headquarters in New York in May. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV