Swiss Abandon Nuclear-Safety Push Amid U.S.-Russian Opposition

A Swiss-led European nuclear-safety initiative opposed by the U.S. was quashed after diplomats issued a non-binding pledge instead of adopting more stringent international rules.

Diplomats from 77 countries unanimously adopted the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety on Monday rather than call a vote on the more demanding treaty amendment proposed by Switzerland. The declaration ends a 10-month campaign to mitigate against nuclear disasters like the one that struck Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi.