Indian uranium deal mooted
Tuesday, 26 September, 2006
The Australian
Mr Downer said that while cutting a deal with nuclear-armed India was not on the cards for the moment, it might happen in the future.
His comments came a day after Prime Minister John Howard said the Federal Government was considering changing its policy of refusing to supply uranium to countries that have not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).
Mr Downer said that Canberra had not ruled out a similar deal to the landmark US-India agreement of July, which allowed for limited international inspections of Indian nuclear facilities in return for nuclear cooperation with Washington.
"Now, we'd have to see all of that in operation to work out whether this was really going to be a satisfactory solution," he told ABC radio.
"It sounds like, on balance, quite a good idea, but whether it would be such a good idea that we would sell uranium to India, I don't know," he said.
But the Minister also urged caution in allowing non-signatories of the NPT access to uranium, warning that such deals could undermine the treaty and set a dangerous new precedent.
"I think, at the moment, it's best we stick with our current policy," he said, warning such a sale would raise questions as to whether Canberra should also supply material that can be used in nuclear weapons to countries such as Pakistan and Israel.
"On balance you wouldn't sell to any country that hadn't signed the NPT. But having said that, this particular deal is a bit of a variation from the norm," Mr Downer said, explaining that under the US deal, India would open 14 of its 22 nuclear facilities to International Atomic Energy Agency inspections.
Mr Howard said yesterday that while Australia would currently not bow to Indian pressure to sell uranium to New Delhi, it may reconsider its position in the future.
"As time goes by, if India were to meet safeguard obligations, some Australians would see it as anomalous that we would sell uranium to China, but not India," Mr Howard said.