By Neena Bhandari, IANS
Sydney/New Delhi : Australia Thursday decided to allow the export of uranium to India subject to strict conditions and Prime Minister John Howard said he had informed his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh of the decision.
Australian uranium exports to fuel Indian civilian nuclear reactors “will assist India to pursue economic development while addressing environmental challenges and help bring India more fully into the non-proliferation mainstream”, Howard said.
While Australia recognises India’s strong non-proliferation record, the Australian uranium supply to it will be conditional on the conclusion of a bilateral Australia-India safeguards agreement providing assurances that Australian uranium will remain in peaceful uses at all times, supported by satisfactory verification arrangements to ensure that no Australian nuclear materials supplied to India will contribute to any military purpose.
Australia and India will begin negotiating a uranium trade pact, Howard told reporters in Canberra after his call to Manmohan Singh.
“Australia has decided in principle to export uranium to India, subject to India agreeing to very stringent safeguards and conditions,” Howard told reporters.
“Our officials will now enter into negotiations regarding the conditions,” he said.
Australia’s national policy forbids the sale of uranium to those countries that have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Howard said: “This change in policy is subject to – conclusion of a suitable safeguards agreement between India and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) covering all designated civil nuclear facilities; conclusion by India of an additional protocol on strengthened safeguards; consensus decision by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to make an exception to its guidelines enabling international civil supply to India; conclusion of a bilateral civil nuclear co-operation agreement between India and the US; and satisfactory progress in implementing India’s commitment to place designated civil nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards in perpetuity.”
Emphasising the importance of bilateral ties, Howard said, “Contingent on the conditions above being met, it will be of significant economic and strategic advantage to both countries.
“India is the world’s largest democracy, an increasingly influential regional power and an important potential strategic partner for Australia. This decision is one key element of a comprehensive package of measures the government is taking to strengthen this important relationship.”
In Australia, such a deal will create increased exports and jobs over the long term. The industry already generates $658 million annually in exports, and the expanding Indian market will offer large opportunities.
India’s requirement for reliable, clean sources of energy is growing rapidly. It will build 11 new reactors to triple its nuclear power generation and is projected to need up to 12,000 tonnes of uranium per annum to 2032.
“Assisting India to meet her rapidly growing energy needs using low emission energy sources such as nuclear power will make a huge contribution to reducing global greenhouse emissions. The use of nuclear power today already reduces global emissions by more than two billion tonnes a year,” Howard added.
Meanwhile, asked if Australia will insist that India not undertake any more nuclear tests, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said: “We of course had a position when France detonated nuclear tests of suspending uranium exports to France until the testing stops and we would not export uranium now to any country that conducted nuclear tests in defiance of the spirit of a comprehensive test ban treaty.”
Howard’s telephone call to Manmohan Singh ended the ambiguity about Australia’s position on making an exception for India in the aftermath of the 123 bilateral India-US civil nuclear pact to sell uranium to India.
“Howard called Manmohan Singh today to inform him of the decision of the Australian government regarding the sale of uranium to India,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said in New Delhi in response to a question.
“The prime minister thanked Prime Minister Howard. It was agreed that the matter would be discussed further at the official level,” he said.
Howard’s call comes amidst a renewed domestic debate in Australia, an influential NSG member which has 40 percent of the world’s known uranium reserves, about the prudence of selling uranium to India – a non-signatory to the NPT – with leading opposition parties attacking the government’s decision.
While approving the decision, the head of Australian nuclear establishment, Ziggy Switkowski, has, however, sought to link the uranium sale to New Delhi giving a legal commitment to abandoning nuclear testing in future.
The National Security Committee of Cabinet Tuesday decided in principle to export uranium to India, but only after Canberra negotiates a separate safeguards agreement with New Delhi on Australian uranium.
Switkowski, the chairman of Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, said in Melbourne Wednesday that he expected a ban on nuclear testing by India to be part of any uranium deal with Australia.
“To be allowed access in one case to American technology for new generation reactors and to our high quality uranium you’ve got to be prepared to accommodate the rules that govern reasonable international behaviour,” Australian newspaper Herald Sun quoted him as saying.
“I think continuing weapons testing would compromise that kind of a situation,” Switkowski said.
“I think at that stage we have to reverse out of the agreement in terms of supplying Australian uranium,” he said, when asked about Canberra’s response if New Delhi did not accept this condition.