Australia questions sale of uranium to Russia
ABC International
The Australian parliament's treaties committee has questioned whether Australia should be selling uranium to Russia given the recent dispute with Georgia.
The committee is investigating a proposed treaty which would allow Russia to buy Australian uranium providing it isn't used in nuclear weapons.
Committee members have questioned why the international atomic energy agency has not carried out any inspections in Russia since 2001.
The committee's chairman, Kelvin Thomson, says he's concerned that Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would not abide by the conditions of the treaty.
"I don't think that he cares about what we think," he said.
"I think that we could supply uranium to him and if he changed his mind about the uses to which he was going to put it, I don't think we'd have any effective comeback at all."
The committee is investigating a proposed treaty which would allow Russia to buy Australian uranium providing it isn't used in nuclear weapons.
Committee members have questioned why the international atomic energy agency has not carried out any inspections in Russia since 2001.
The committee's chairman, Kelvin Thomson, says he's concerned that Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would not abide by the conditions of the treaty.
"I don't think that he cares about what we think," he said.
"I think that we could supply uranium to him and if he changed his mind about the uses to which he was going to put it, I don't think we'd have any effective comeback at all."