M A I N   N E W S

Post-deal, Aussies may sell uranium

Canberra, June 23
Australia has said it will consider joining any consensus to authorise global nuclear commerce with India, including the sale of uranium, if and when the India-US nuclear agreement becomes operational.

“If and when the 123 agreement (relating to the India-US nuclear deal) gets to either the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Australia will then give consideration to what its attitude to that agreement is,” foreign minister Stephen Smith said.

“We will bear in mind the views and the arguments and the importance of the issue to India. The Australian Labour Party has a longstanding position which is well known that we don't export uranium to a country which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty,” he told reporters here.

At a joint press conference here following the fifth Australia-India foreign ministers’ framework dialogue, Smith and Indian external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee were at pains to emphasise that while Australia stands by its decision not to export uranium to India, that was not an impediment to stronger bilateral relations.

Mukherjee said he was currently negotiating the proposed civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the US, which has been opposed by the Left allies of the Manmohan Singh government.

“Naturally, if the entire process is completed, the nuclear trade with India is permissible as per the international arrangements. Then and then only, the question will come. I have come to Australia not with one issue of getting uranium from Australia because we are aware of the position of the Labour Party,” Mukherjee told reporters.

While the former John Howard government had decided to export uranium to India to meet its growing energy needs, subject to the finalisation of the India-US civil nuclear deal and the conclusion of an India-Australia nuclear safeguards agreement, the Labour government headed by Kevin Rudd reversed the decision late last year. — IANS

Extradition treaty inked

India and Australia today inked treaties on extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters as they vowed to enhance their strategic security and counter-terrorism cooperation.

“Australia wants to take the relationship with India to the front ranks of the partnerships we have,” Smith said after the agreements were signed here.

“These are a couple of practical illustrations of how we want our strategic security, defence and counter-terrorism arrangements to be enhanced,” he said. — PTI