New Delhi
6 March 2006
The euphoria over the nuclear deal clinched last week by India and
the United States appeared to dissipate somewhat on Monday when Australian Prime
Minister John Howard remained noncommittal on Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's
request to reconsider the ban on sales of uranium to India.
For his part, Mr Howard heard India out as Dr Singh made a pitch for importing uranium
from Down Under to fuel the country's civilian nuclear energy programme. However, the
visiting premier kept his own counsel in the face of criticism and opposition by
legislators back home.
Australia has almost half of the world's known uranium resources. In contrast, India has
less than one per cent. India has accordingly sought a change in Australia's policy that
rules out sales to countries like India which have not signed the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty.
With Mr Howard by his side, Dr Singh on Monday told reporters at Rashtrapati Bhawan:
"We are short of uranium and we would like Australia to sell uranium to India." Also, he
told 'The Australian' newspaper in an interview published on Monday, "I very much hope
Australia, as a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, would endorse what I and US
President George W Bush have worked out".
Mr Howard was to respond soon at a business luncheon hosted in his honour. "Energy,"
he said, "[plays] a critical role in our relationship .... I'll be interested in hearing more
about that (India-US nuclear deal) arrangement."
"Australia does have large supplies of uranium ... and provided the rules are followed
and the safeguards are met, we are willing to sell, but we have to be satisfied about the
safeguards," Mr Howard was also quoted as saying in a statement released by his office
in Australia.
In Australia, lawmakers feared Mr Howard was set yet again to tear up international law
for the sake of selling uranium to India. "We had Australia follow the US into Iraq against
international law, we've had the Prime Minister support Guantanamo Bay outside
international law and now we have George Bush going against the non-proliferation
treaty and John Howard's set to follow suit," Greens Senator Christine Milne was quoted
as saying.
Six agreements were signed in the presence of the two premiers including a
memorandum of understanding on customs cooperation, air services, a trade and
economic framework, an MoU on defence cooperation and an MoU on cooperation in
biotechnology besides pledging 25 million dollars over five years for the India-Australia
Strategic Research Fund.
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