Green light on uranium sale to India

[Contrarian]

Green light on uranium sale to India

AUSTRALIA is poised to take the landmark step of selling uranium to India, with the powerful national security committee of cabinet expected to consider the sensitive issue this afternoon.

The committee is due to consider a submission from Foreign Minister Alexander Downer recommending that Australia sell uranium to the subcontinent to provide fuel for India's expanding nuclear power industry.

The expected green light would herald a radical shift in Australia's foreign policy, which prevents uranium sales to countries that have not signed the treaty on nuclear non-proliferation.

Prime Minister John Howard, who heads the committee, has said that he supports uranium sales to Delhi in order to enhance the relationship, despite India's failure to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

A recent nuclear co-operation agreement negotiated between the United States and India will bring some of India's nuclear plants under the international inspection regime for the first time.

The agreement allows the US to export uranium and nuclear technology to India — and other countries are expected to follow suit with their own bilateral agreements.

But reports from the subcontinent in recent days indicate that the India-US agreement is proving controversial, with left-wing parties in India's parliament strongly opposed to the agreement.

Senior figures in Canberra argue that the US deal is a landmark because it brings Indian nuclear plants under international inspections.

But this upbeat view is rejected by some experts on proliferation and by the Federal Opposition, which says it will not support uranium sales to countries outside the treaty.

The Australian resources sector has lobbied Canberra to open up lucrative new markets for yellowcake, including India and China.

Australia has already negotiated a nuclear safeguards agreement with China, and a similar safeguards agreement with India would follow the national security committee's approval for the policy shift.

One Government senator who has previously expressed concerns within the Coalition party room about uranium sales to India said last night that he remained uneasy about the idea.

But Liberal senator Russell Trood told The Age he had been reassured by the level of nuclear safeguards that the US had managed to negotiate with Delhi in its recent co-operation agreement.

"I'm uneasy about it, but it all depends on the agreement (we would reach with India)," Senator Trood said.

He said if Australia reached a similar deal on appropriate safeguards, such as the inspection of plants, then the agreement could be satisfactory.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/natio...m-sale-to-india/2007/08/13/1186857429245.html

 

[Contrarian]

Thats good news!

 

[Bushroda]

Thats great news.. so after Uncle Sam now the crocodile Dundee reverts back its policy on selling the yellow cake only to NPT signatories. Money does speak in many languages.

 

[Bushroda]

So the deal is done. Aussie Uranium arriving in India.

Australia to sell uranium to India
08.14.07, 9:40 PM ET
FORBES, NY

SYDNEY (Thomson Financial) - Australia has agreed to sell uranium to India for use in nuclear power plants even though New Delhi has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty on atomic weapons, the Australian newspaper reported on Wednesday.

A condition of the deal would be that Australian inspectors would be allowed to check the chain of supply of the nuclear fuel to ensure none was siphoned off into weapons programs, the daily said.

The national security committee of the federal cabinet reportedly made the decision at a meeting overnight.

The government said last month that it was considering selling uranium to India after New Delhi finalized a landmark civilian nuclear deal with the United States.

The deal clinched in Washington last month allows India to buy civilian nuclear technology while possessing nuclear weapons, making it an exception under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Australia has the world's largest known reserves of uranium and has been under pressure to sell the nuclear fuel to India since agreeing last year to supply rival Asian giant China, which has signed the treaty.

Both India and China already have nuclear weapons and say they want Australia's uranium simply to fuel nuclear power stations to meet soaring demand from their booming economies

 

[bhangra12345]

So the deal is done. Aussie Uranium arriving in India.

The deal is done when NSG(read china) approves it, only because NSG operates by consensus. Australia was in the bag the moment US was.

We still dont know the price which we may have to pay for china's approval or atleast non-interference(read no vote).

 

[Bushroda]

I don't suppose there should be any hinderence in getting approval from NSG afterall chairman of the NSG himself backed the Indo-US nuclear deal before the 123Agreement. China doesn't have enough clout at the moment with NSG members most of whom are standing under US umbrella. If US pitches forward then all of them would drop in line. Strange is that just about 3 months back the same Australia had sort of pledged not to sell uranium to India till it signs npt. Now, it has made a 180 degree turn.

 

[Awesome]

Thats great news.. so after Uncle Sam now the crocodile Dundee reverts back its policy on selling the yellow cake only to NPT signatories. Money does speak in many languages.

Good ol' Amreekan Danda.

 

[Contrarian]

Good ol' Amreekan Danda.

Money has a language of its own as well

 

[Bushroda]

Good ol' Amreekan Danda.

Someone speaks from experience

 

[bhangra12345]

I don't suppose there should be any hinderence in getting approval from NSG afterall chairman of the NSG himself backed the Indo-US nuclear deal before the 123Agreement. China doesn't have enough clout at the moment with NSG members most of whom are standing under US umbrella. If US pitches forward then all of them would drop in line. Strange is that just about 3 months back the same Australia had sort of pledged not to sell uranium to India till it signs npt. Now, it has made a 180 degree turn.

China needs to have zero clout. Its own no is enough. that is the problem.

Someone will have to pursuade china also and that requires us to pay some price. The price which we dont know yet.

 

[Bushroda]

I don't think its as complex as you are making out to be. China hasn't raised any objections to the nuke deal. Even otherwise, the matter can only get complicated only if it is referred in UNSC where China has its veto right. Although, at the moment it is straight as a line between two points, get the NSG approval with no objection from the 45 members most of whom can be easily persuaded.

With what I see, China's option at the moment could be to make an attempt in getting Pakistan similar treatment at par with India. Even so, we should still get the NSG approval.

 

[bhangra12345]

Although, at the moment it is straight as a line between two points, get the NSG approval with no objection from the 45 members most of whom can be easily persuaded.

Read up on NSG. NSG is a group of 45 countries (includes china) which operates on consensus, i.e. each of those 45 countries has a veto.

 

[Bushroda]

There isn't much that China can do to oppose it. What are the factors on which China can oppose it? India has already agreed to open its civilian reactors for inspection. It has ensured not to siphon technology and raw material into military use. That clearly complies to both the parts of guidelines. Even in the worst case NSG is only a voluntary regime. Members are still allowed export as they wish. China attempting to push hard would only result in its marginalisation.

 

[su-47]

and another question is why would china object so much? this deal is meant to supply india with nuclear fuek for generating electricity. and the deal conatins so many clauses that effectively prevents us from using the fuel for weapons. add to that the fact that the deal is tying us up by preventing nuclear testing.

 

[Neo]

and another question is why would china object so much? this deal is meant to supply india with nuclear fuek for generating electricity. and the deal conatins so many clauses that effectively prevents us from using the fuel for weapons. add to that the fact that the deal is tying us up by preventing nuclear testing.

We've gone thru this earlier, the 123 deal will indirectly enhance boost to Indian nuclear arsenal as fuel produced locally will be diverted to military reactors, China can delay the process but will not halt it.