New Delhi
4 May 2006
An Australian delegation headed by Deputy Sectretary David Ritchie
in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has made a quiet visit to New Delhi for
talks on nuclear issues including uranium sales.
The delegation included the head of Australia's nuclear safeguards agency, Dr John
Carlson. As Australian Prime Minister John Howard suggested during his March visit to
India, the team was sent to find out more about the India-US nuclear agreement.
Australia has some of the largest uranium deposits in the world but its law mandates
sales only to the signatories to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It has,
accordingly, agreed to sell to China but not to India yet.
Sources said Mr Ritchie has the responsibilty for international security policy in the
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was the international affairs
adviser to Prime Minister Howard some time ago.
The sources also said the delegation led by Mr Ritchie included technical experts and
senior policy officials from several departments in the Australian Government including
Dr Carlson, who heads the nuclear safeguards agency.
During the Howard visit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said, "We would like to
trade with Australia in all areas ... we are short of uranium. We would very much like
Australia to sell uranium to India."
"I very much hope that Australia, as a member of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group, would
endorse what I and President Bush have worked out. India has an impeccable record of
not entering into any unauthorised arms proliferation," Dr Singh had said.
Soon after Mr Howard's visit, Australia-India Business Council Chairman Neville Roach
was quoted as saying, "The concern that this (review) would require Australia to export
uranium to other countries, notably Pakistan, has little merit".
Although Mr Howard has said there was no intention of changing the policy yet, he has
been quoted as saying that "provided the rules are followed and the safeguards are met,
we are willing to sell, but we have to be satisfied about safeguards."
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