Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today reaffirmed his nation's rejection of uranium exports to India because New Delhi has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the Australian reported (see GSN, Aug. 5).
Australia and other atomic exporters agreed last year to permit nuclear trade with India even though it possesses nuclear weapons and has not signed the nonproliferation agreement (see GSN, Sept. 8, 2008).
"On the question of bilateral uranium sales, can I say that our policy remains governed by the provisions of the nonproliferation treaty that has been the case in the past," Rudd said. "The nonproliferation treaty and our policy in relation to it as underpinning our attitude to uranium sales is not targeted at any individual country. It has been longstanding Australian government policy" (Matthew Franklin, The Australian, Nov. 12).
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh plans to seek a reversal of the Australian rule at an upcoming meeting with Rudd, Asian News International reported yesterday.
“We (India) are ready when they (Australia) are ready to sell uranium,” one source said. “We don’t press the point.”
Australia's vast uranium reserves are attractive to New Delhi, which is seeking a steady supply of fuel for its growing nuclear energy program (Naveen Kapoor, Asian News International/Trak.in, Nov. 11).