Australia to sign uranium trade deal with India
Australia's prime minister said Wednesday that he will sign a uranium export deal with India for peaceful power generation this week, but added that exports of the nuclear fuel to Russia have been banned until further notice. Photo: PTI- Australia on Monday ratcheted up sanctions against Russia in line with the United States and European Union in response to Russian soldiers openly violating Ukraine sovereignty.
- Greens leader Christine Milne also criticized Abbott for using the Russian trade deal as justification for uranium exports to India.
- Abbott had argued that India was more worthy of such a trade deal — which prohibits use of Australian uranium in weapons or to power nuclear submarines— than Russia.
- But the countries have been negotiating a so-called nuclear safeguards agreement with verification mechanisms since 2012 when a former Australian government agreed on civil nuclear energy cooperation with India that would eventually allow the export
- Australia, which holds almost a third of the world's known uranium reserves, imposes strict conditions on uranium export contracts and India's failure to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty had long been a barrier to any trade deal.
- A previous Australian government struck a trade deal with Russia, but only a single shipment was made in 2012. That was five years after an initial trade agreement was reached between Moscow and Canberra. For commercial reasons, there have been no
- The uranium export ban on Russian will have no immediate effect, although it bolsters opponents' argument that the deal had always been a mistake.
- "There will be no Australian uranium sales to Russia until further notice," Abbott said. "Australia has no intention of selling uranium to a country which is so obviously in breach of international law as Russia currently is," he said.
- Abbott declared an official end to the uranium trade with Russia in response to a call from the minor Greens party for uranium to be included in trade sanctions triggered by Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
- "My hope ... is to deepen the friendship between Australia and India at a time of renewed optimism in India under the new government of Prime Minister Modi," Abbot told Parliament ahead of his first visit to India as prime minister.
- Prime Minister Tony Abbott told Parliament he would sign a nuclear cooperation agreement with newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a three-day visit to Mumbai and New Delhi which officially starts Thursday.
Australia's prime minister said Wednesday that he will sign a uranium export deal with India for peaceful power generation this week, but added that exports of the nuclear fuel to Russia have been banned until further notice. Photo: PTI
Australia to sign uranium trade deal with India
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