Tuesday, 14 August, 2007

Australian Conservation Foundation

Federal Cabinet’s nod for uranium exports to India sends a message to other nations: the United Nations’ nuclear non-proliferation treaty means nothing to Australia.

“In giving the go-ahead for uranium sales to India the Federal Government is telling the world if you break your promises, breach international law and build nuclear weapons, Australia will respond not with sanctions, but with priority picks of our uranium,” said the Australian Conservation Foundation’s Dave Sweeney.

“India’s civilian and military nuclear programs are intimately linked,” he said.

A former head of India’s National Security Advisory Board, K. Subrahmanyam, told the Times of India: “[given] the need to build up our minimum credible nuclear deterrent arsenal as fast as possible, it is to India’s advantage to categorise as many power reactors as possible as civilian ones to be refuelled by imported uranium and conserve our natural uranium for weapons grade plutonium production.”

“Australia selling uranium to India would directly fuel India’s nuclear weapons program and contribute to regional insecurity,” Mr Sweeney said.

“Foreign Minister Downer should explain why he is promoting uranium exports to India when his Department’s travel advisory says Australians visiting India should ‘exercise a high degree of caution’ because of the ‘high risk of terrorist activity by militant groups.’

“The Department of Foreign Affairs’ advisory for neighbouring Pakistan warns of an ‘unpredictable security situation and very high threat of terrorist activity’.”

“There is nothing responsible or neighbourly about selling a long-lasting radioactive legacy to India or contributing to tensions between India and Pakistan.

“Australia should get out of this toxic trade,” Mr Sweeney said.