Spent nuclear material focus of meeting

VIENNA, May 6 (UPI) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency is planning to host a multinational meeting in Vienna to address the safety and security of spent nuclear material.

The IAEA meeting, scheduled for May 11-20, is expected to bring together more than 500 representatives for the third Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management review meeting.

The meeting is being held to address the implementation of participating countries' measures to securely store and handle spent nuclear fuel. The meeting also will include a peer-review process for evaluating each country's progress on meeting the joint convention's mandates.

According to an IAEA news release, the meeting will focus on long-term challenges, "such as the management of spent fuel, the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and the need to find suitable disposal options for all types of radioactive waste."