Monday, 10 September, 2007

ABC News Online

Federal Finance Minister Nick Minchin says the deal the Government signed to sell uranium to Russia is a major achievement of the APEC summit.

The Government is talking up its achievements at the APEC summit, as it tries to divert attention away from speculation of a leadership change amid another poor result in an opinion poll.

Senator Minchin told Question Time the uranium deal Prime Minister John Howard signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin is a historic agreement.

"We applaud the fact that at APEC, the Prime Minister was able to agree with the Russian President in the first ever visit by a Russian President to this country, on a nuclear safeguards agreement with Russia," he said.

"This will allow the supply of uranium to Russia in accordance with our long-standing and very strict safeguards agreements."

The Government also used Question Time to emphasise the benefits of the declaration on climate change, agreed to by APEC leaders.