PM Lee invited to nuke summit
By Teo Cheng Wee, Regional Correspondent

UNITED States President Barack Obama on Sunday invited Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to a nuclear summit in Washington next year, in recognition of Singapore's role in nuclear security.

'Singapore serves as a critical trading hub in the region, and we commend Singapore's commitment to counterproliferation efforts,' White House National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer noted in a statement after both leaders met on the sidelines of the Apec summit.

Singapore is the first in the region, to sign on to the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), which aims to halt the trafficking and spread of nuclear weapons.

Given its strategic location along key sea lines of communication, Singapore can play a key role in such efforts. It joined the PSI in 2003, the same year that it was launched by former US president George W. Bush. Today, more than 90 countries are signed on to it.

'As the first country in the region to sign on to the Proliferation Security Initiative, Singapore is working to expand the reach and membership of this important tool to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction,' said Mr Hammer.

The event which Mr Lee has been invited to attend - the Global Nuclear Summit - was described by Mr Hammer as being part of an international effort to address 'this most immediate and extreme threat to global security'.

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