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Mukherjee’s Australia visit : No uranium supply |
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As expected, Australia has ruled out the sale of uranium to India as New Delhi is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. “The Australian Labour Party has a long-standing position which is well known. We don’t export uranium to a country which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)”. Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said after talks with Pranab Mukherjee under the Australia-India Foreign Ministers’ framework dialogue.
Even though there was no development on the uranium front much to the disappointment of the government, a joint statement indicated that the two countries signed treaties on extradition and mutual assistance in criminal matters and announced the intention of working together on a host of new areas. They agreed to hold ministerial meetings on the issue of food security, increase defence cooperation and set up a new joint working group on visas, passports, and consular issues with education ties occupying an important place in bilateral ties.
Mukherjee also took up the issue of the safety of Indian students and got an assurance from Australia that incidents involving Indian students would be taken up immediately.
However, Mukherjee’s mandate was clearly to push for a softening of the Australian Government’s position on the sale of uranium. The Indian Foreign Minister acknowledged that New Delhi was aware of the Labour Government’s position on the matter but maintained that his sole mandate during the visit was not to push for a reversal of the ban on sale of uranium.
Talking to newsmen after talks with Smith, he said that India would broach the subject again with Australia after finalizing the international arrangement for nuclear commerce, which means after finalizing the IAEA safeguards agreement and getting a Nuclear Suppliers Group waiver. He said, it was too early to refer to India’s requirement of uranium.
Smith said Australia would consider the proposal to lift the uranium ban if and when the nuclear deal teaches the IAEA or the NSG. “We will bear in mind the view, arguments and the importance of the issue to India when we come to that consideration to the proposal,” Smith said. A joint statement released at the end of the talks said the Ministers reiterated their strong support for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
The previous John Howard Government had in principle agreed to export uranium to India. That decision was knocked down by the new Labour Government.
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