Australia May Sell Uranium to India, Official Says

Australia’s foreign minister said that a U.S.-India civilian nuclear deal could pave the way for uranium sales to New Delhi, the Australian Associated Press reported (see GSN, Mar. 29).

The deal was “very much in Australia’s interests,” Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said while visiting the Philippines. The U.S.-Indian deal’s nonproliferation safeguards, which include international inspections of more than half of all Indian nuclear reactors, make India a possible recipient of Australian uranium sales even though India has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Australia announced last week it was considering selling uranium to India, AP reported.

“India’s commitment to separate it civil and military nuclear facilities enabling expansion of International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards will help to bring India more fully into the nonproliferation mainstream,” Downer said in a statement. 

“Australia shares the goal of engaging with India as a constructive and responsible partner in preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.” (Australian Associated Press, July 31)

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