Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Security blankets Washington as nuclear summit looms
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Africa
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
North America
Security blankets Washington as nuclear summit looms
AFP - Monday, April 12
Send
IM Story
Print
People walk past the Washington Convention Center as iron fencing is erected around it ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit. Washington is leaving nothing to chance to protect leaders at President Barack Obama's two-day summit.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - – It will be the largest global gathering on US soil in 65 years, and with small armies of security forces deployed from Sunday Washington is leaving nothing to chance to protect leaders at President Barack Obama's nuclear summit.
The 47-nation meeting Monday and Tuesday in the US capital will draw on security know-how and manpower on a staggering scale and place several square blocks of the city on lockdown, officials said, with shuttered Metro stops, re-routed buses, and local police joined by thousands of federal forces.
"The level of security needed... is immense," said Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty, noting that the city is no stranger to "big events" like presidential funerals or visits by the Dalai Lama, the pope, or Britain's Queen Elizabeth.
But this gathering is "without any question one of the biggest, most prestigious, important meetings that has ever taken place, not just in this city but anywhere in the world," he said.
The nuclear security summit has emerged as the most vast gathering of world leaders led by a US president since the signing of the United Nations charter in San Francisco in 1945.
Motorcades zooming to and from the White House or the State Department are nothing new to Washington, and blockaded streets come and go with events like World Bank meetings, state visits and presidential inaugurations.
But even jaded residents may be in for some headaches come Monday, police chief Cathy Lanier hinted.
"Be patient with us," Lanier said. "This is Washington DC, we do a lot of big events here. It's a world class city and I think we do them very well."
Road closures will begin Sunday night as authorities secure the area around the Washington Convention Center -- site of the high-stakes meeting aimed at securing nuclear stocks and keeping weapons grade material out of the hands of extremists.
Each world leader is expected to bring his or her own security detail, but Obama's US Secret Service bodyguards are overseeing effort to keep visiting dignitaries safe starting Sunday, when the president holds separate bilateral meetings with several leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
"There will be different layers of security that will include a variety of different things visible and not visible," said Lanier, who declined to give precise numbers of agents deployed "for security reasons."
There will be parking bans, buses will deviate from their daily routes, some Metro stops will be closed, and police are expected to set up checkpoints in a three-block radius around the city's convention center.
"That is some burden. However, there is nothing more important than making sure that people who visit the country, especially the leaders of 46 nations, do so in as safe and secure a way as humanly possible," said Fenty.
Washington's airspace, already tightly controlled since the September 11, 2001 terrorist strikes, will buzz with security helicopters, while US Coast Guard vessels will patrol the Potomac river and other waterways.
The gathering is "one of the biggest summits of its kind... outside of the United Nations," said the mayor, who noted that Obama's January 2009 inauguration had packed the city with excited crowds.
"I'm not aware of any large protest but there are probably going to be a few people that want (to) protest, but we are used to that here in Washington," said Lanier.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Europe agrees $40 bln Greece rescue deal AFP - Monday, April 12
UK-World Summary Reuters - Monday, April 12
Polish president's coffin returns home to Warsaw Reuters - Monday, April 12
Security blankets Washington as nuclear summit looms AFP - Monday, April 12
Eurozone could lend Greece $40 bln: Juncker AFP - Monday, April 12
News Search
Top Stories
'All bets are off' if US under WMD attack: Clinton
New clouds form over UN climate strategy
Discovery astronauts undertake second spacewalk
Greece to raise fresh loans, hopes EU seals debt plan
Australian teen on course for sailing record
More Top Stories »
Related Full Coverage
Obama's PresidencyWhat change will Obama bring? Will it affect the rest of us globally?
All Full Coverage »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
American teen aims for Everest record
Two-million-year-old hominid sheds light on evolution
Taiwan's male 'Susan Boyle' a web sensation
IMF chief plays down raising inflation targets
McCoy breaks Grand National jinx on Don't Push It
More Most Viewed »
'Rare' fossil of new dinosaur species found in US
Two-million-year-old hominid sheds light on evolution
Taiwan's male 'Susan Boyle' a web sensation
Junkies and junk-food addicts share craving mechanism
Toad is a telltale for impending quakes: scientists
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
World Cup 2010
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Monday, 12 April 2010 Israeli groups decry army West Bank deportation rules
Europe agrees $40 bln Greece rescue deal
News
Iran's Khamenei slams Obama over 'nuclear threat'
Iraq PM's bloc says fraud may have cost it 750,000 votes
Hungary's Fidesz wins election with strong mandate
|
British campaigners threaten pope with arrest
|
Greek police arrest suspected leftist guerrillas
|
Brazil flood death toll rises to 224: officials
|
Drug gangs kill nine in Honduras as violence grows
|
Ousted Kyrgyz leader: I'm not to blame for deaths
Security blankets Washington as nuclear summit looms
Ousted Kyrgyz leader: not to blame for bloodshed
'All bets are off' if US under WMD attack: Clinton
News
Iran is not yet 'nuclear capable': US defense chief
Afghan president urges Taliban to air grievances
Thai protesters reject talks after deadly clashes
Kyrgyz leader: no guarantees for ousted ruler
News
Airstrikes kill 10 militants in NW Pakistan
Australian officials seek to protect reef
Colorado Sheriff's Deputy Tazes 30 Students; Gets Suspended
Date Night ekes out disputed box office win
|
News
Polish president's coffin returns home to Warsaw
|
News
Thai protesters gather after clashes hit markets
|
Kyrgyz interim government says to move against Bakiyev
|
Yemen says seeks cleric, yet to get U.S. intelligence
|
Pakistani forces kill up to 40 militants in Orakzai
|
NATO troops kill 4 Afghans on bus: provincial official
|
Fidesz wins Hungary election with strong mandate
|
Russia cast as nuclear security leader despite flaws
|
US-TECH Summary
Euro rises as markets back Greek rescue deal
Obama Meets India's Singh; Headley Issue Raises Controversy
China 3G standard phone sales to surge
|
Obama Cites Al Qaeda With Nuclear Weapons As Biggest Threat
Sharp to launch 3D TVs this summer
|
Google CEO: Tech silence in China spat no shock
|
Ex-Obama adviser calls on FCC to reclassify Web access: report
|
Google CEO says Apple helped AdMob deal
|
Smartphone maker Palm is seeking a buyer: report
|
News
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
News
Hollywood gripped by baby fever
|
Titans tops foreign box office again
|
Conan begins comedy tour as Fox talks drag on
|
ESPN's Allen Iverson documentary holds few surprises
|
Pop star Shakira prepares to build school in Haiti
|
News
New Zealand house prices rise in March
Top anti-racism judge shot dead in Moscow
Nine dead after landslide derails Italian train
Nine dead after Italian train derailment
Sudan extends voting for two days after delays
|
Afghan fury after US troops kill four civilians
Bomb explodes outside MI5 headquarters in Northern Ireland
|
Polish relatives seek to identify Russia crash victims
Attacks in Kandahar; NATO fires on Afghan bus
|
Moscow judge who sentenced neo-fascists shot dead
|
Greece charges six over guerrilla attacks
|
Sudanese opposition urge elections cancelled
Nine dead as landslide derails Italian train
|
Thai poll body says ruling party must be dissolved
200,000 civilians flee Pakistan military offensive
UBS reports 2.5 bln francs in quarterly pre-tax profit
Greek debt plan boosts euro, most Asian shares
Al-Qaeda would use nuclear bomb on US: Obama
China's Geely Auto 2009 net profit up 35%
China's foreign reserves hit new high
Paramount offers movies on Seagate hard drives
|
Obama to open landmark nuclear summit
Best Buy to sell Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader
|
Bangladesh sentences 50 guards over 2009 mutiny
Kyrgyzstan's deposed president gathers supporters
Sharp to join 3D TV battle with advanced display
|
Pressure mounts on Thai PM after election body call
Global IT spending to rise
|
Afghan official says NATO gunfire kills 4 on bus
Australia refloats Barrier Reef oil spill ship
Ship that leaked oil on Great Barrier Reef removed
Australian in Bali prison applies for clemency
Thai stocks sink after deadly Bangkok clashes
Afghan official: 4 civilians killed by NATO troops
Rusal reports $821 million profit
China bank lending down 43 percent in 1st quarter
China says forex reserves hit record $2.447 trln
India's industrial output sees double-digit growth
Sharp to launch 3D televisions by summer
Iraq Urged to Lift Media Restrictions
IATA chief urges Japan to be China travel gateway
Romney Wins Presidential Straw Poll By A Hair
Mandy Moore To Check In To Greys Anatomy Finale
GM China: Sales by 2015 may exceed 3M units
Motorcyclist Flees Police, Crashes Into Ambulance Crew That Treats Him
Teen Birth Rates Down In U.S.
Researchers Say Hispanics Live In Areas With Limited Ability To Screen For Colon Cancer
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Dozens Hurt In 7-Alarm Manhattan Fire
President Obama Meets Kazak President Nazarbayev
President Obama Meets Pakistani PM Gilani, Mentions His Trip Sans Secret Service
British band Supergrass announces split
|
Tenor Domingo speaks of cancer fear ahead of return
|
Date Night ekes out disputed box office win
|
Russell Crowe drops tights for Robin Hood
|
DreamWorks rolls out Kung Fu Panda virtual world
|
Taiwan's 'Susan Boyle' voted off talent show
India hopes mud-pit wrestling can lead to gold
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Russell Crowe drops tights for "Robin Hood"
DreamWorks rolls out "Kung Fu Panda" virtual world
Hollywood gripped by baby fever
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights