A FRENCH government-owned company attempted to block countries discussing an Australian request to expand the World heritage-listed Kakadu National Park to include land that contains uranium worth billions of dollars.

Paris-based Areva, the world's largest nuclear energy company, wants to extract 14,000 tonnes of uranium from its mineral lease in the Koongarra area, which is surrounded by the park. But federal Labor made an election promise last year to incorporate Koongarra into Kakadu, removing the possibility of future uranium mining there.

 

Areva formally requested Australia to withdraw its nomination for heritage listing from the agenda of the 35th World Heritage Committee meeting, which will be held in Paris this week, The Age has learnt.

 

But the government rejected the request and has sent a six-member delegation to Paris to push the nomination.

 

Jeffrey Lee, the sole member of the Djok clan and senior custodian of the land that includes the 12.5 square kilometre Koongarra project area, has also travelled to Paris hoping to speak at the meeting.

 

Mr Lee, 40, who would be one of Australia's richest people if he allowed the mine to go ahead, told The Age he wanted to tell the story of his country, which he wanted to see protected forever in the park.

 

"I've waited too long for this to happen," said Mr Lee, who works as a ranger in Kakadu.

 

Koongarra is an ecologically sensitive area three kilometres from Nourlangie Rock, one of Kakadu's most visited sites.

 

According to Aboriginal beliefs, the land has places where the rainbow serpent entered the ground and a giant blue tongue lizard still lurks.

 

The area also has rock art dating back thousands of years.

 

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke told The Age his government would fight any opposition to the heritage nomination.

 

"I'm confident of the merit of our case," he said.

 

A high level World Heritage Committee delegation to Australia in 1998 recommended Koongarra be listed as "in danger" because of threats posed by uranium mining operations.

 

Areva Australia's website says the company owns the Koongarra uranium deposit, which was discovered in 1971, but there is currently a moratorium on mining it.