Howard facilitates Iran's nuclear ambitions
Friday, 17 August, 2007
by Christine Milne
The Australian Greens
Senator Milne said "Just as the AWB kickbacks scandal saw Australian funds supporting Saddam Hussein, John Howard's uranium sales to India and Russia will inevitably facilitate Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"While current official Indian policy is to oppose Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions, two Indian nuclear scientists and a number of Indian companies have been sanctioned by the USA for passing nuclear technology to Iran.
"Given the instability of India's current regime, and the rise of extreme nationalism, it cannot be ruled out that Australia's export of uranium to India would facilitate Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons materials.
"If India's politics are unstable, Russia has already beaten a hasty retreat from democracy, human rights and open political processes. Concerns are spreading around Europe and beyond about human rights violations and restrictions of democratic freedoms under President Putin's regime.
"In one case, which has barely been raised in Australia, Russian businessman and funder of the democracy movement, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has been arrested and incarcerated in a Siberian prison camp on trumped up charges. This has allowed the regime to seize the assets of Khodorkovsky's energy company, Yukos, and to suppress the emergence of political dissent.
"President Putin has made it clear that his regime will support Iran's nuclear ambitions and is already transferring nuclear materials and technology to the country. He has also opened nuclear negotiations with Burma.
"Mr Howard's assurances that Australian uranium will be safeguarded are meaningless when both Russia and India have domestic supplies of uranium which will be freed up by Australian imports. The millions of people who may be caught in the nuclear crossfire won't care whether it was Australian uranium that made the bombs.
"With both Russia and India known to have transferred nuclear materials and technology to Iran, it is inconceivable that Australian sales of uranium to these countries will not facilitate Iran's ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons, regardless of any safeguards regime."