New Delhi, Aug. 20 Ahead of the Nuclear Supplier Group’s crucial meeting to decide on N-commerce with India, Australia has reiterated that it is unlikely to supply uranium to non-Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatories such as India, even as it indicated it could back the country at the 2-day NSG meeting from Thursday.

In a response to an e-mail enquiry, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Stephen Smith, through the High Commission, said the Government “will approach the discussions in the NSG in the same positive and constructive manner that it approached the IAEA deliberations…”

The Government has, however, firmly ruled out uranium sales to India unless it signs the NPT.

Australia’s key Opposition parties are, however, terming it “hypocritical in the extreme” for the country to refuse uranium sales to India.

“To block Australian uranium sales to India while supporting the sale by other countries (at the NSG) makes no sense… It is a position that is unsustainable. It can and must be reversed,” Mr Andrew Robb, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and a key Opposition voice, told Business Line.

Canada’s U-turn

On the other hand, amid political opposition, Canada has done a policy U-turn on nuclear proliferation to indicate its willingness to support India’s entry into the global nuclear fraternity despite opposition at home on the issue.

Australia and Canada are key players — both champions of non-proliferation, strong voices in the NSG and the biggest uranium suppliers globally.

According to the Australian Uranium Association, over 50 per cent of uranium comes from mines in Canada and Australia.

Canada’s Foreign minister, Mr David Emerson, was reported to have said recently that Canada will “assess the proposed NSG exemption carefully, but hopes to move forward (on the issue)”, claiming that “you can’t keep somebody in the penalty box forever.” Canada is expected to back the exemption at the NSG meeting, which could clear the way for nuclear technology and fuel imports into India, even as a widespread non-proliferation lobby, which finds echo in the Opposition parties, has been raising voices against the Government’s plans.

The 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is likely to have two meetings, one on August 21 and another in early September, to decide whether to lift the ban to trade with India on civil nuclear energy. Unlike the IAEA, where a simple majority can take decisions, the NSG convention is to get a consensus on all key issues, with even a single country in the 45-member body in a position to block the waiver for India. Once India gets the waiver from the NSG, the US Congress, which regroups in September, is expected to give its final approval to the India-US nuclear deal.