No to Indian uranium sales
Katharine Murphy
February 11, 2011
AUSTRALIA will not sell uranium to India until it signs a nuclear non-proliferation treaty and completes a safeguards agreement, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says.
Mr Ferguson declined to comment on the contents of a leaked diplomatic cable, revealed in The Age yesterday, suggesting Australia was planning to sell yellowcake to India within the next three to five years in contrast to the official stance, which is to ban sales until India signs the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
''We will only supply uranium to countries that are signatories to the NPT and have signed a bilateral agreement with Australia,'' said Mr Ferguson, who is a strong supporter of expanding uranium mining and exports.
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In the last year of the Howard government, preliminary steps were taken to export uranium to India despite the fact it was outside the nuclear treaty. While some in the then newly elected Rudd government also privately supported the idea of selling uranium to India, Labor shut down the Howard process while it took steps to reform the international nuclear regime.
Uranium and nuclear power remains a thorny issue with Labor's rank and file, but developing both industries has support in influential quarters of the party.
A senior Indian government official told The Age this month that India was dismayed by Australia's continued refusal to sell it uranium.
''This decision of the Australian government not to sell uranium to our country, it does not make us happy, I will be frank.
''We were surprised, because Australia was very supportive of us during the NPT waiver talks. But we are dealing with the realities as they are.''
Source: The Age
Katharine Murphy
February 11, 2011
AUSTRALIA will not sell uranium to India until it signs a nuclear non-proliferation treaty and completes a safeguards agreement, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says.
Mr Ferguson declined to comment on the contents of a leaked diplomatic cable, revealed in The Age yesterday, suggesting Australia was planning to sell yellowcake to India within the next three to five years in contrast to the official stance, which is to ban sales until India signs the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
''We will only supply uranium to countries that are signatories to the NPT and have signed a bilateral agreement with Australia,'' said Mr Ferguson, who is a strong supporter of expanding uranium mining and exports.
Advertisement: Story continues below
In the last year of the Howard government, preliminary steps were taken to export uranium to India despite the fact it was outside the nuclear treaty. While some in the then newly elected Rudd government also privately supported the idea of selling uranium to India, Labor shut down the Howard process while it took steps to reform the international nuclear regime.
Uranium and nuclear power remains a thorny issue with Labor's rank and file, but developing both industries has support in influential quarters of the party.
A senior Indian government official told The Age this month that India was dismayed by Australia's continued refusal to sell it uranium.
''This decision of the Australian government not to sell uranium to our country, it does not make us happy, I will be frank.
''We were surprised, because Australia was very supportive of us during the NPT waiver talks. But we are dealing with the realities as they are.''
Source: The Age
