U.S. Wants Safeguards on Uranium Sale to China

U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said today that the United States accepts Australia’s plans to sell uranium to China, but wants safeguards in place to prevent nuclear proliferation (see GSN, Oct. 17, 2005).

China and Australia are negotiating the sale, Agence France-Presse reported. Bodman said any deal must include provisions to stop terrorists from obtaining the material.

“We do not object to that (uranium sales),” Bodman said. “We would, however, encourage both the Australians, as well as the Chinese, to make sure that there are adequate safeguards in place in respect of the potential for proliferation.”

“The potential after 9/11 in our country, the threat of terrorists is something that we take very seriously and there is concern over the potential access of terrorists to fissile material. We are working hard throughout the world to see to it that the potential problem is contained,” he added (Agence France-Presse, Jan 11).

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