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| Australia says no to N-sale to Indi |
| The new Labour government in Australia has said that it would not sell uranium to India because it is not a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation
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| INDIA
, 15-January-2008
9:15:27 AM |
| The new Labour government in Australia has said that it would not sell uranium to India because it is not a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), reversing a decision taken by the previous Howard government.
Australia is a key member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group whose support is critical for the Indo-US deal.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith conveyed his country's turnaround to Shyam Saran, a Special Envoy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during their talks held in Perth.
''We went into the election with a strong policy commitment we would not export uranium to nation states who are not members of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),'' Smith told reporters after the meeting.
John Howard's conservative government had in August 2007 decided to start negotiating uranium trade with India before it lost power in November last.
''India is a nation state that is not a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. I don't think there's any expectation in the international community that it will become a member,'' Smith said. Australia has the world's largest known reserves of uranium.
Bilateral trade
Smith described his talks with Saran as a ''good and friendly meeting,'' which included discussions on bilateral trade and the recent cricket dispute between the two nations.
Australian government ''is very much looking forward to taking the relationship with India to an even better level.''
Saran did not comment after the meeting but Smith said the Indian official was not ''surprised by the position.''
The Australian Foreign Minister, who had last month stated that one of Labour's priorities would be adding ''depth and vigour'' to its relationship with India, said his government's position on uranium sale did not surprise the Indian special envoy.
The Howard government had struck an in-principle agreement with India to sell uranium to the country. The deal was subject to strict conditions
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