Friday, 17 August, 2007

The Australian

OPPOSITION leader Kevin Rudd said he would "tear up" any nuclear deal with India if he wins government this year.

Australia and India have agreed to negotiate a uranium trade pact to fuel burgeoning Indian power demand, Prime Minister John Howard announced yesterday in a major shift in his government's policy on global nuclear proliferation.

But Mr Rudd said Australians were deeply concerned about India's use of uranium and the possibility of an escalating arms race on the Indian subcontinent.

"No one in Australia wants a nuclear arms race aided by us in the Indian subcontinent or between India and China," Mr Rudd told the ABC.

Mr Howard plans to ramp up the nuclear industry in Australia, which holds 40 percent of the world's known uranium reserves, through increased exports and by lifting a ban on domestic atomic power generation.

All of Australia's current uranium customers have ratified an international nonproliferation treaty and have agreed to ensure that radioactive material is not put to military use or passed on to a third country.

But in Australia the Greens Leader Bob Brown has raised concern that any supply of uranium for peaceful purposes will simply make other uranium suppliees available for weaponry.

Howard's Cabinet agreed in principle on Tuesday to sell the nuclear fuel to India despite its refusal to sign the nonproliferation treaty.

The government argues that nuclear power is an essential part of curbing global warming as the Indian and Chinese economies' hunger for energy grow.

"I spoke to the Indian prime minister a short while ago; he's welcomed the government's decision," Howard told reporters after a telephone conversation with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.

"Our officials will now enter into negotiations regarding the conditions," he said.

"We want to be satisfied that the uranium will only be used for peaceful purposes," he added.

Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna confirmed that Singh had agreed to begin negotiations.

Earlier Thursday, Howard told Parliament India would have to agree to international inspections of its nuclear power plants and complete the details of its nuclear partnership pact with the United States.

Washington and New Delhi have sealed a technical pact that details how nuclear cooperation between the world's two largest democracies will work.

India got nearly everything it wanted over two years of negotiations, including the right to stockpile and reprocess nuclear fuel, a key step in making weapons.

Deputy Labor Leader Julia Gillard said Labor was very concerned about the deal.

"We indicated we are very worried about this because of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NTP)," Ms Gillard told the Nine network.

"India has nuclear weaponry as well.

"Most Australians and Labor is indicating a degree of concern about this."

Labor has questioned the government about the safeguards surrounding the deal, Ms Gillard said.

"It's a government decision, we are entitled to ask questions and we did and we haven't got satisfactory answers."