Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard had declared a month earlier that her government planned to allow uranium sales to countries which are not signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but held off until her Labour Party passed a motion at its national policy conference on Sunday.
“It is learnt that the Australian Labour Party agreed today to allow the sale of uranium to India for power generation. Bilateral cooperation in the energy sector is one of the important facets of our multifaceted ties with Australia. We welcome this initiative,” said Foreign Minister SM Krishna, who is currently in Frankfurt. Krishna claimed that the move was an endorsement of India’s “impeccable non-proliferation credentials’’.
Indian officials say the new policy could not have come a day too soon as their country’s nuclear plants are running well below capacity.
At the same time the country’s appetite for uranium is growing and will probably increase ten-fold by 2020 as it boosts its nuclear power generation. India will need about 8,000 tons of uranium annually. Domestic production of uranium is insufficient.
Analysts say the Australian move will not only be a shot in the arm for India’s civil nuclear programme but also could open the door for Pakistan and Israel, the only two other states in the world that possess nuclear weapons but have not signed the NPT.
New Delhi was the net beneficiary of the move by Australia Labour Party, which passed a motion okaying export of uranium to India by 206 votes to 185. The proposal, piloted by Prime Minister Julia Gillard exposed a split within cabinet and left the rank-and-file up in arms. Gillard told the conference a bilateral safeguard agreement would exist with India and the deal would be good for trade, jobs and relations with New Delhi.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2011.
COMMENTS (56)
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@G. Din:
Good point LOL!
@LOK:
yeah kashmir is slipping...i guess thats y major reforms going on...thats y 2011 was the best tourist season year of all time....who the hell told u kashmir slipping??...by that logic...balochistan and NWFP and FATA have already slipped....even in maoist areas there is govt and paramilitary presence....it is accessible...is NWFP and BALOCHISTAN ACCESSIBLE??
Australia has very few ties with Australia so there are very few to break.
To LOK,
Kashmir is slippoig from india's hand. Let me tell you.. Pakistan is already dis membered. Jinnah's "Moth-eaten pakistan" is gone in 1971. I assure you.. Maharashtra can separate from india but not kashmir ..
@Usman Khalid: Where is the question of dreaming? Isn't Bangladesh a reality? We will free Balochistan at a time of our choosing. On the other hand you have failed in Khalistan and destroyed your country from inside in keeping Kashmir issue alive(the onetime stooge jamat ud dawa is openly talking of overthrowing Pakistani government)
Indian designs and desires are different than that of Pakistanis who clearly don't need Australian uranium. Pakistani nukes are India focussed and we already have enough. @M, just count how many dismemberment moves are ongoing in India, keep dreaming about Balochistan - it ain't happening. Kashmir is slipping from ur hands.
@M: keep dreaming!!!
@Usman Khalid: Educate us great one. What nuclear related things happened in 1984 bhopal, 2010 mayapori, 2011 ahamdabad?
@Usman Khalid:
one thing that i forgot to mention...u said u can give it to whomever u want....give it....simple...bt y do it behind the curtains??...openly come out and give it na??...if ur doing it behind the curtains...either ur doing something wrong or ur right and the world is wrong....
now pls i beg u to not say that CHINA also does it to pakistan...although i doubt u ll say that...bt still...if china does it...it doesnt justify that u can do it too...
australia is giving it to whomever it wants...but its doing it openly...still pakistan has a prob as to why india and not me...
everything against pakistan is a conspiracy ryt??...although u dint say it directly...but many others do...and m really grateful for not viewing this as a conspiracy
@Usman Khalid: My brother that is the difference between us and them They did not beg in 1992 from IMF even when US & IMF offered them aid. Instead they kept all their gold in the RBS bank UK and got the money and ran the country through severe austerity.
We need to do the same, but the problem is we dont have anything to lend except ofcourse our word of mouth.
@Usman Khalid:
can v hav a professional debate here pls??.i have often seen..wen pakistanis (and even indians n almost every damn person on earth is cornered)..this "YOU ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS" starts...
Having problems is something...and having solutions and implementing it is something else...
yes India more or less faces the same problems as pakistan and being an indian i agree to it...bt the difference is that india doesnt get entangled in its problems...it works on its own without any interference in sovereignty....maintains friendly or at least diplomatic relations with every nation...n doesnt act according to other's terms or interests....pakistan is completely opposite to this
your facts abt indian govt "begging" to IMF is wrong...neither India "begged" any nation nor any international body...the IMF thing ur talking abt....India MORTGAGED all its gold and gold reserves...special planes were called in to carry the gold to IMF...u say ur not a signatory to NPT so u can give it to whomever u want...then u talk of professionalism in indian handling of fissile material....u very well know how rogue iran and north korea are (if u understand and know wat i mean by ROGUE)...ya ya...y not give it to the taliban...to indian maoists and everyone??...u think that is professionalism??...anyway as i said i dont like comparisons of problems and this was just to answer u in ur style...yes there have been incidents bt not disasters...the bopal one was a GAS TRAGEDY (CHEMICAL DISASTER) not a nuclear one...now if i was u...i can easily defend myself saying...so wat??..disasters have even happened in USA,France etc...bt dude...does that mean just coz they happened there it is justified for them to happen in india??...its condemnable...at every damn step...tc and have a gud life...and please stop this "EVEN U HAVE" syndrome...if some1 does or has something...it doesnt justify u to hav or do the same thing...take care
@Usman Khalid: Keep trying. Your country supported Khalistan & failed. What has clearly succeeded is the 1971 dismemberment of your country. Keep torturing Balochistanis & a second dismemberment is well on its way with India's help
@ali tanoli: Certified by who? Saying they don't care is like saying I own a Ferrari but am not worried that nobody is willing to sell me gas at any gas station.
@ali tanoli: So why don't you throw money in Australia's face and prove your point?
@usman: I beg you not to break all ties with Australia. If Pakistan does this, Australian economy will come to a screeching halt. There will be food riots on the street. Oh my god, please have mercy on Australia.
@B.F Where all others eight got from may be from god right.
@Bruite force, Whats a big deal if did it world is not for just few to masters other poor human beings may god bless pakistan and khan.
@BruteForce: you think we give you any importance to your crap.
@ali tanoli: they sell any thing for money u name it ….
True - then if "they sell any thing" then I presume ghairat is for sale too. Either way, if you think they sell anything for money, then you should rejoice -- for the right price Pak can get the yellowcake too... Of course, you need to first figure out how to raise the money: all-weather friend will pay market price of 10 paisa for every new slogan.
@BruteForce: worst thing that can happen to me is to waste my man hours replying to indians who's only point is to prove that Pakistan is the only problem this planet has. My friend, you would equal no of problems, if not less, compare to Pakistan. You want me to name them or you want me to make a comparison? I admit your economy is way better than Pakistan's but don't forget you were once happened to beg IMF in 1992 (or 1993). It would definitely take time for Pakistan to be on right path (in terms of economy). Secondly, if we are not NPT signatory, it definitely means that we are not bound to comply with it. that means we can share it with whomever we want. Apart from this, we know how professional you are in handling nuclear material at your disposal, 1984 bhopal, 2010 mayapori, 2011 ahamdabad and bla bla, On the other hand, you alway blame us for terrorism, let not force us to do terrorism by joining your moaist rebellions, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separatistmovementsof_India ... you are trying to break pakistan into 4 pieces, how will you be able to control rebellions in 20 or so states.
@Ali Tanoli:
"U think every body else in the world made by it self they did not stole from some where else"
Thats just a convenient argument Pakistanis use to justify their theft. There are only 9 nations with nuclear bombs, but only one of them proliferated to another Country and that is Pakistan.
@Ali Tanoli:
I did google about electricity shortage in Pakistan, and it says that there is severe shortage in Pakistan. What were you trying to prove?
@Bruite force U think every body else in the world made by it self they did not stole from some where else then u dont have history knowledge man please google it and about electricity shortage in pak brother its all ignorance of previous govts ...
@ali tanoli:
Well, having nuclear bombs is different to producing nuclear energy. That is why Pakistan is crying about this "discrimination".
Plus, Mr. Khan having stole the technology Pakistan doesn't have the know how to produce a controlled nuclear reaction to produce electricity.
If you think Pakistan is better off, then I say good for you. Ignorance is bliss they say!
@Usman Khalid:
So what? How does indicate India was indulged in proliferation!
I understand that Pakistanis love a conspiracy theory and that news was ideal for you people.
Face it you are clutching at straws..
Its the same old victim-hood mentality. Pakistan are the one who let Terrorists in neighbouring Countries but cry foul that the World is behind them. There were no allegations of Indian proliferation until Pakistan was caught red handed. All of a sudden you and your ilk wanted India also to be blamed, without evidence or reason, of course. Its the same old, "I'll drown and I'll drag you down with me", mentality.
@ali tanoli: "they sell any thing for money u name it …."
Samething is said about Pakistan too!!! :-)
@Usman Khalid:
I don't know how your comments comparing how nuclear scientists die in different nations is relevant to the topic. Just in case you don't know, we in India don't keep our nuclear scientists under house arrest or any other arrest. So, they are free to roam anywhere and can get into accident as any normal person would. Now I hope you won't say that a normal person cannot get drowned in a river. :-)
@Bruite force I think pakistan is certified nuk power and they dont care any more of world monopoly on these things and may god bless Mr Khan for that.
@acorn, "we’ll just make our own .. like we’ve been doing for the past few decades " how can you make uranium in pakistan .If you know uranium is created due to supernoave explosion which requires that much of energy to compress atoms to make Uranium . Do you think there are nuclear experiments in pakistan to collect uranium at the end of suicide blasts to see if uranium is produced ?. The energy required to create uranium from other elements cannot be done even if all of worlds nuclear bombs exploded at the same place.
they sell any thing for money u name it ....
@BruteForce: nuclear scientist in pakistan do die but on their death bed not in river. even that was found after months of search :D
@Shyam: "@Acorn Nuts" He is not a "nut of Acorn"; he is "Guts of Acorn"!!!!!
What's the big deal.Just relax.We can always get uranium from China.
@sajid: Boss.. Usman has already gone to the US embassy for his visa!!!:)..
@usman: Why not break ties with the entire world!!!:)..
@Acorn Nuts
umm err how do you make Uranium??
Why are we even concerned these news only have importance for superpower nations; we have issues of our own. We are a failed nation and world sees us as a terrorist state. we are again making a mockery of ourselves by asking australia to treat us equal as india. lol
@Pradeep: 8,000 tons of enriched uranium chocolate. Enjoy your treat big bro, I think we'll just make our own .. like we've been doing for the past few decades you know?. At least the little brother will learn the virtue of self-reliance this way :)
@Chacha..
Well at least its a success story for Pakistan.
@Usman - That is correct. Big brother got a chocolate for doing his homework well. Now little brother needs chocolate too. If not little brother will throw a tantrum and break things in the house.
U never know Pakistan may be recieving it already discreetly through indirect and unknown players.So dont worry that india is spearheading this race.Relax.
@DILU: Whatever you say, it's still India's success. The sort of success Pakistan will not see anytime soon. And conspiracy theories will not help you either.
@sajid: of course the Pakistanis have to come back from Australia. And they also have to come back from the US with whom ties are soon to be broken. And Pakistan will stop garment exports to US as well in protest even if that means a 40% decline in exports - better for Pakistan to do it first before US halts imports from Pakistan !
The only thing Pakistan will now be exporting is Mumbai style terror attacks.
@Sunny-Irani:
NSG have given a waiver and IAEA too. Australia is not breaching any International law. In fact, in IAEA Pakistan didn't vote against India. Funny, isn't it?
@DILU:
"As far as terrorism is concerned every one knows who created mukti bahani and tamil tigers."
I thought hard about what you said, but still couldn't determine what the relation to this topic is.
"I still remember the news when one of the Indian nuclear scientists was found dead in a river."
So, scientists in Pakistan never die?
@DILU can you explain who is "every one knows" it's only pak people or some thing else. buz whole world know better than u that who create terrorism and protect them.
nothing is right or wrong only you've to justify
@usman Are u an idiot? What about the thousands of pakistanis who live and work there?
It is not a success of indian foreign policy it is US which wants Aus to sale such stuff to India so that the nuclear plants provided by US to India can work properly.
@Mirza: As far as terrorism is concerned every one knows who created mukti bahani and tamil tigers. I still remember the news when one of the Indian nuclear scientists was found dead in a river.
West needs India to standup atleast as tall as China and they will do any thing to achieve this target.
Partially, I would call it Indian foreign policy's success for their consistent behaviour towards Australia - in fact no Indian Prime Minister has visited Australia since the last 26 yerars - not even in the last common wealth meeting at Perth this October. The other reason is that Australia has world's 40% of easily extracted Uranium reserves but has only been meeting's world's 20% needs - in this age of financial crunch, Australia wants to take the advantage of being a member of NSG having such huge reserves. However, in the absence of common protocols of NSG, selling of enriched Uranium to non NPT country having known active nuclear weapon program - this sale should initiate a new debate at IAEA and possibly punish Australia of striking their name out of NSG membership.
I always say big guns belong to big boys who are responsible.
There are 4, possibly 5 states which have either violated NPT or not signed it. India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel, now possibly Iran.
Out of all 5 of them only India can be counted as a very big power. But, that doesn't mean it should get the technology from others, but because it has been very responsible, other big powers are coming forward to reward India.
This is a lesson for states like Pakistan, NA and Iran, who have indulged in proliferation before.
We should break ALL ties with Australia if they dont give us the same treatment.
Even though I do not like nuclear proliferation, but the Australians are rewarding India’s responsible behavior with his nuclear technology. Instead of being all bent out of shape, we have to learn from this experience that being in bed with the terrorists does not pay in the long run.