Fed: Uranium sales a fair way off - Downer

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2007
Fed: Uranium sales a fair way off - Downer

CANBERRA, Aug 15 AAP - Uranium sales to India are fair way off, and would need to pass
a number of hurdles before they could occur, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says.

The National Security Committee of Cabinet was yesterday expected to consider a proposal
from Mr Downer to allow the fuel to be sold to India.

Mr Downer was not elaborating on the committee's discussion but it is reported to have
agreed to the proposal.

The federal government is considering uranium sales to India despite the fact it is
not signed up to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

While Australian nuclear sales are usually conditional on the NPT, India may get an
exemption due to a deal it struck with the United States, opening its civilian reactors
to international inspections.

If any deal were to be struck, Mr Downer said it will be some time off, with a nuclear
safeguards agreement to be negotiated, which would ensure that uranium would only go to
civilian reactors that were subjected to an international inspections regime.

"If we're ever to sell uranium to India, it's a bit down the track," he told ABC TV last night.

And he stressed the uranium would not find its way into nuclear weapons.

"India can always get uranium for its nuclear weapons program if they want to, it's
just that they will never get it from Australia," Mr Downer said.

"If we were to go down the path of negotiating an agreement with India, we wouldn't
sell uranium that could be used in any way at all for any military purpose."

AAP so/cp

KEYWORD: NUCLEAR INDIA DAYLEAD

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