Australia, China to Begin Uranium Talks

Negotiations on the export of uranium from Australia to China for use in Chinese nuclear power plants are expected to begin today, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Jan. 13).

John Carlson, director general of the Australian Safeguards and Nonproliferation office, will lead Australia in the talks. Negotiations are expected to last two days. 

Discussions on safeguards against the use of the uranium in weapons are expected.   International Atomic Energy Agency oversight would be included in the safeguards, according to a spokeswoman for Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane.

“It's non-negotiable basically. There are a series of guidelines under which we will export to a second party,” she said (Agence France-Presse, Jan. 18).

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