His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday called for an integrated international effort to prevent terrorist organisations from accessing nuclear material to protect the international community.

In remarks he made at the opening session of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, King Abdullah also urged the global community to institutionalise cooperation and design effective communication mechanisms to help countries keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists.

The 47-nation summit, which was due to conclude on Tuesday, sought to draft an action plan to prevent terrorist organisations from any access to nuclear material.

Ahead of the meeting, King Abdullah met with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. The two discussed cooperation between the two countries, especially in the defence field. They also discussed developments in the Middle East.

The King also discussed the Middle East peace efforts with US National Security Adviser General James Jones. He stressed that any resolution to the conflict must be based on the two-state formula and ensure the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state.