Nuclear safety high on leaders' agenda

DEAUVILLE, France - G8 leaders have reached a consensus that more stringent international rules on nuclear safety are needed after the recent nuclear plant crisis in Japan, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday.

"We all wish to obtain high standards of regulation on nuclear safety that will apply to all countries involved in civilian nuclear energy," Sarkozy said at a press conference at the G8 summit in French seaside resort of Deauville.

Nuclear safety is high on the agenda of the summit as some countries reconsider their nuclear energy strategies, following Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident in March, which was triggered by an earthquake and tsunami.