Australia to sell uranium to India
Thursday, 16 August 2007
SYDNEY, Aug 15 (AFP): Australia has agreed to sell uranium to India for use in nuclear power plants even though New Delhi has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty on atomic weapons, local media reported today.
A condition of the deal would be that Australian inspectors would be allowed to check the chain of supply of the nuclear fuel to ensure none was siphoned off into weapons programmes, The Australian newspaper said.
The national security committee of the federal cabinet reportedly made the decision at a meeting overnight.
The government said last month that it was considering selling uranium to India after New Delhi finalised a landmark civilian nuclear deal with the United States.
The deal clinched in Washington last month allows India to buy civilian nuclear technology while possessing nuclear weapons, making it an exception under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
US President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed the controversial agreement by telephone Tuesday, the White House said.
Their conversation came as US officials look for ways to overcome stiff opposition in India and in the US Congress to the pact, which the embattled Bush sees as a key foreign policy victory.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard is a close ally of the US president and had indicated that he was prepared to change Australia's policy of selling uranium only to countries which have signed the NPT.
A condition of the deal would be that Australian inspectors would be allowed to check the chain of supply of the nuclear fuel to ensure none was siphoned off into weapons programmes, The Australian newspaper said.
The national security committee of the federal cabinet reportedly made the decision at a meeting overnight.
The government said last month that it was considering selling uranium to India after New Delhi finalised a landmark civilian nuclear deal with the United States.
The deal clinched in Washington last month allows India to buy civilian nuclear technology while possessing nuclear weapons, making it an exception under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
US President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed the controversial agreement by telephone Tuesday, the White House said.
Their conversation came as US officials look for ways to overcome stiff opposition in India and in the US Congress to the pact, which the embattled Bush sees as a key foreign policy victory.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard is a close ally of the US president and had indicated that he was prepared to change Australia's policy of selling uranium only to countries which have signed the NPT.