Melbourne, January 19
Refusing to budge from its policy, Australia today rejected India’s request for the sale of uranium.

“Regarding the export of uranium to India, the policy of the Australian government is clear - we will only supply uranium to countries that are signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and have signed a bilateral agreement with Australia,” Australia’s Resource, Energy and Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson said after his meeting with visiting External Affairs Minister SM Krishna.

“This is not a policy specific to India, it applies equally to all countries,” Ferguson, who discussed with Krishna a range of energy sector issues, was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press.

During the meeting, Krishna, who is here on a three-day visit, renewed India’s long-standing request for buying the Australian uranium. He urged the Australian government to reverse its policy of not selling uranium to India.

The External Affairs Minister said after his meeting with Ferguson that the talks were by and large in the context of India-Australia relationship, with particular reference to the energy aspects.

“With a kind of growth that we have been seeing in India in the last few years, our energy requirements are increasing by the day, as a result of which now we have various possibilities of collaborating with those countries which have uranium, coal and other facilities,” Krishna said. — PTI