Washington, April 13, 2010: Barack Obama has opened a meeting of the world’s major nuclear powers in Washington, in what the US president has heralded as the first concerted effort to confront the threat of nuclear material falling into the wrong hands.

Monday’s first day of talks was dominated by two developments – an apparent agreement for the US and China to work together on sanctions against Iran; and an announcement that Ukraine would surrender its stockpile of weapons-grade uranium.

Attending the summit are leaders and delegates from the five major nuclear powers and 42 others, in what is the largest international meeting hosted by a US president in more than 60 years.

Notable exclusions from the gathering include Iran, North Korea and Syria.

‘Shared concerns’

According to US officials, Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, agreed that the US and China would work together on a draft UN resolution for tougher sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear programme.

The announcement followed 90 minutes of bilateral talks between Hu and Obama on Monday, and could mark something of a diplomatic breakthrough after several months of strained China-US ties.

“The Chinese very clearly share our concern about the Iranian nuclear programme,” Jeff Bader, Obama’s senior director for Asia on the National Security Council, told reporters.

“They’re prepared to work with us,” he said, interpreting that willingness as “another sign of international unity” on the Iranian nuclear issue.

However, officials in Hu’s delegation were less specific about any agreement, saying only that the US and China shared the “same overall goal” on Iran, while stressing the need for more dialogue.

Iran itself was not invited to the meeting and on Monday the Iranian president lashed out at the summitlabelling it “humiliating to humanity”.

“World summits being organised these days are intended to humiliate human beings,” Iran’s Irna news agency quoted Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying.

“These foolish people who are in charge are like stupid, retarded people who brandish their swords whenever they face shortcomings, without realising that the time for this type of thing is over.”

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, and Ahmadinejad has called his own alternative nuclear summit in Tehran on Saturday.