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Ahead of his trip, Australian PM Tony Abbott expresses willingness to supply uranium to India

September 3, 2014 | By Parmjeet Singh

Sydney, Australia (September 03, 2014): In a recent development Australia has expressed it’s willingness to sell uranium to India. Ahead of his trip to India, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott reportedly said that Australia should be prepared to sell uranium to India with suitable safeguards.

“If we are prepared to sell uranium to Russia, and we’ve been prepared to do that in the past, surely we ought to be prepared to provide uranium to India under suitable safeguards,” Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott reportedly told ABC television.

Tony Abbott is scheduled to leave Australia on Thursday for his first visit to the subcontinent as prime minister of Australia.

Notably, Tony Abbott will be joined by Trade Minister Andrew Robb and an Australian business delegation.

During his two-day visit to the country he will meet with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

It is notable that India is not a signatory to the Nuclear-Non Proliferation Treaty but Australian PM said Australia should be prepared to sell uranium to India under suitable safeguards.

Asked what steps had been taken to make sure there were appropriate safeguards, Robb told ABC radio: “We have satisfied ourselves that the steps are in place”.

“The negotiations and work that’s gone on between authorities in India and Australia have gone on for some years to develop a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement which meets the international requirements and we are satisfied, our officials are satisfied, that all the requirements have been met,” he reportedly said, while adding that: … “And we are in a position, if that’s what comes about with the prime minister’s visit, to sign such a cooperation agreement.”

It may be recalled that Australia is the world’s third-ranking uranium producer behind Kazakhstan and Canada but it does not use nuclear power.

The New York Times in one of it’s editorials in June, highlighted India’s Role in the Nuclear Race in south-Asian region.

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Related Topics: India, Sikhs in Australia (Sikh News from Australia)

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