After seven years of negotiations, a United Nations committee Friday adopted a draft international treaty to fight nuclear terrorism, which is expected to be approved by the 191-nation General Assembly in weeks.

The draft adopted by consensus defines acts of nuclear terrorism and strengthens the international legal framework to combat it. It requires those who threaten or commit such crimes to be extradited or prosecuted by governments.

The draft aims to deal with both crisis situations by assisting states in solving situations created by terrorist groups possessing nuclear material, and post-crisis situations by rendering the nuclear material safe in accordance with safeguards provided by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), committee chairman Rohan Perera of Sri Lanka told reporters.

The text will now go to the General Assembly within the next two weeks or so for adoption and will open for signature on Sept. 14 when world leaders gather in New York for the UN summit.

Addressing the committee, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed the adoption of the convention, which was based on a draft submitted by Russia in 1998. "The Nuclear Terrorism Convention will help prevent terrorists from gaining access to the most lethal weapons known to man," he said.

"Nuclear terrorism is one of the most urgent threats of our time," Annan said. "Even one such attack could inflict mass casualties and change our world forever. The prospect should compel all of us to do our part to strengthen our common defenses."

He also called on the committee to finalize work on the convention on the definition of terrorism. "I remain confident that you will be able to complete that work before the end of the 60th session of the General Assembly."

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2005)