New Delhi
15 January 2008
Australia has made it known that it will not sell uranium to India.
Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith conveyed the decision of the new
Labour Government, headed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's Special Envoy Shyam Saran in Perth on Tuesday.
"It's a longstanding commitment of the Australian Labour Party that we don't authorise
the export of uranium to countries who are not parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty. India is not a nation state that is a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty," Mr Smith
told Mr Saran.
"I made the point that the Australian Government came to the election, or went to the
election with a strong policy commitment that we would not export uranium to nation-
states who are not members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. So I underlined that
again today to Mr Saran," the Australian minister iterated.
The Australian government's decision not to sell uranium would have come as a setback
for India although Australian minister Stephen Smith pointed out that "it didn't come as
any surprise to Mr Saran that was our ongoing policy position." Australia has 40 per cent
of the world's known reserves of uranium and exports to 36 countries.
The announcement by the Australian government comes barely a day after New Delhi
projected an understanding it has reached with Beijing for promoting bilateral
cooperation in civil nuclear energy as a shot in the arm for India's quest for an approval
from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG.)
A relevant portion from the text of the joint statement signed by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing on Monday read: "As two
countries with advanced scientific capabilities, the two sides pledge to promote bilateral
cooperation in civil nuclear energy, consistent with their respective international
commitments, which will contribute to energy security and to dealing with risks
associated with climate change."
India needs to get NSG nod for sourcing nuclear technology and materials. China and 44
other countries are members of the NSG. The European Commission participates as an
observer. Germany will succeed South Africa as the chair of NSG for 2008-2009. The
NSG operates by consensus.
Some NSG members like Switzerland have voiced reservations about the proposed
India-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement. The Scandinavian countries, which are
also members of the NSG, have suggested India to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty or CTBT in order to get NSG approval.
However, New Delhi's desire to employ the nuclear deal to forge a strategic partnership
with Washington has caused divisions at home and abroad alike. It has led to hardening
of China's position on the boundary dispute with India. China has resorted to aggressive
patrolling at the Sino-Indian border and made incursions into Indian territory.
The India-US nuclear deal, coupled with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's reluctance to
accept Russia's offer for new nuclear reactors, is also telling on the India-Russia ties.
Russia is understood to be opposing the deployment of Indian military hardware at the
Ayni air base in Tajikistan.
New Delhi has had a presence at the Ayni base, on the outskirts of Tajikistan's capital
Dushanbe, for over five years now but Moscow's displeasure over New Delhi walking
into a strategic embrace of Washington and the prospect of India turning to the US for
military acquisitions are said to be the reasons for the shift in Russia's policy.
No comments:
Post a Comment