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Australia Close to Uranium Sale Deal with China
A deal for Australia to sell uranium to China could be finalized next week, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, March 14). Australian Prime Minister John Howard said today that talks have focused on Australia’s condition that the material be used only for energy purposes. “We have made very good progress,” he said. “It's possible that the discussions could be satisfactorily concluded so that something could be said or signed when the Chinese premier visits Australia next week.” A Chinese official said two deals were close to being signed — one that allows the export of uranium to China and another that allows China to participate in uranium mining and exploration in Australia. The agreements are expected to be signed during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to Australia, which is scheduled to begin Saturday, said Chinese Foreign Ministry official Liu Jieyi. The agreements address “the peaceful use of nuclear energy” and would meet International Atomic Energy Agency standards, Liu added. Howard also has not ruled out allowing uranium sales to India, which is now forbidden because it has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The prime minister added that Canberra was “not contemplating” a change in that policy, AFP reported. He said a delegation of Australian officials would visit India and the United States in April to discuss details of a planned nuclear technology sharing agreement between New Delhi and Washington (Agence France Presse/TODAYOnline.com, March 28).
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