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India uranium sales 'unique': Australia
Defence Minister Smith says decision 'warmly welcomed,' rebuffed suggestions that Pakistan want similar arrangement.
Defence Minister Smith says decision 'warmly welcomed,' rebuffed suggestions that Pakistan want similar arrangement.
SYDNEY: Australia’s Defence Minister Stephen Smith said India represented a “unique” case for uranium sales Thursday and denied that lifting its export ban to New Delhi opened the door to countries like Pakistan.
The ruling centre-left Labor party voted to overturn its long-standing ban on uranium sales to India at its national policy summit last weekend despite the fact that it was still not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Smith, on an official visit to India, said the decision had been “warmly welcomed” but rebuffed suggestions that Pakistan may want a similar arrangement.
“The circumstances for India so far as export of uranium is concerned are, in my view, unique,” Smith told ABC television from India.
“Pakistan does not have the same record so far as proliferation is concerned. There have been serious expressions of concern about proliferation in the past.”
Though India had not signed the NPT — Labor’s rationale for withholding sales until the weekend’s policy u-turn — Smith said it had agreed to split its civilian and military nuclear programmes and vowed not to engage in atomic tests.
It had also submitted to the authority of civil nuclear regulators.
“India is the world’s largest democracy. There’s never been any serious suggestion or any evidence of proliferation on India’s part,” he said.
He described the ban as “an irritant or a grain of sand in the relationship (that) is now gone” and said he and Indian officials had agreed that they could and should do more to to boost strategic cooperation.
“The whole world is moving to the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean, and India is very much a central part of that,” he said.
Smith said he had also discussed the recent announcement of a US troop boost in northern Australia with Indian counterpart A.K Antony and he understood that “Australia has an alliance relationship with the United States.
“India also understands that Australia has a strong view that the engagement of the United States in the Asia Pacific, indeed the enhanced engagement of the United States in the Asia Pacific, is a good thing for peace, prosperity and stability,” Smith said.
Australia describes India — its fourth-largest export market — as at the “front rank” of its global partnerships and aims to strengthen ties beyond economic and trade links into areas such as defence and security.
Reader Comments (40)
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I am getting ready to hear ‘sour grapes’ stories from Pakistanis.
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“Unique” Case.
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indeed the enhanced engagement of the United States in the Asia Pacific, is a good thing for peace, prosperity and stability,” Smith said. I have serious doubts over his statement. Indeed it is the reverse of what Mr. Smith has said.
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@ahsok We are used to this, so nothing special about it. Atleast you won’t hear it from me.
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we should stop acting like cry babies.. our stolen technology is so poor that we stole to build a bomb but lack of any knowledge to not even have a single indegenous N reactor. India on the other hand is exploring new technologies and even on the verge of launching innovative reactors with thorium. Thats what I call internal strength of knowledge.
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State sponsored countries are not welcome.
‘Australia describes India — its fourth-largest export market — as at the “front rank” of its global partnerships and aims to strengthen ties beyond economic and trade links into areas such as Defence and security’.
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Pakistan is actually unique case, at the time of creation Pakistan was not even able to make anything at all , left with nothing in hand and yet was able to acquire the nuclear technology , weather stolen or of her own , it is really a great success and nobody even US will think 100 times before waging a war against it.
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India will eventually take its befitting place in the world order. History can give us the indication of what that place can be. The last thing that Pakistan can do is to make this rise look like to have happened inspite of Pakistan. Pakistan should accept India’s rise gracefully because that is the best option that they have. The notion that Pakistan and India were comparable is a farce.
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Pakistan has its own uranium mines and is self sufficient. India doesn’t. Why would Pakistan need to import?
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Beware India: Australians want to use you against China.
India has every right to buy nuclear fuel and fulfill its industrial demand but like the US nuclear deal, this deal is also crutial for India.
Despite all these positive aspects, who does not know US-Australia want a triangle with India in Asia Pacific to control China -a growing economic and military giant.
India has to walk a thin rope to progress and continue its old non-alignment policy without letting her use from imperial powers.
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@J Iqbal:
last time, it was ’10 times’ and then what happened?
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@J Iqbal:
The US is waging war against Pakistan everyday!!!! What do you think those dead soldiers mean?!!!Recommend
five english speaking countries have one say and two english speaking slaves have nothing to say india and pakistan….
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@ashok sai:
Why…..its business my dear…if in future Pakistan is also able to spend money, countries will run to it. In business..there is no friend, no relative.Its all economy…and one more thing..whether you accept it or not and it may also be unfounded…but it clearly sends a message to Pakistanis of west’s double standards…making them more extremist and hatemongers.As an Indian..I believe that a fire in Pakistan will definitely send heat waves to our country also…and my dear…you cant change your neighbor to avoid this.I keep reading your and other fellow Indian’s comments which only antagonize them…cant we be sympathetic to them and form a bond of friendship? Pakistani governments can be our nemesis but not the people…and in the long run people are what which would count…and as a larger and stronger neighbor we can send signals for support to them in these tiring times. And also..dont think that US or West are friends of India. They can never be.We would be fools to accept them as our well wishers.
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If there is an option for being “unique” then what is the point of NPT? wasn’t it designed to prevent N proliferation & Non – NPT members are not supposed to have access to Global N- resources be it a Democrazy or not. This is what is called Hypocrisy.
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A bit hypocritical of Pakistan to whine about Australia being selective on who it sells to — hows that MFN thing going with India? – the last time I looked you refused to allow them to invest in the Thar Coal project. Any responsible country is going to think twice about selling nuclear material to a country which was caught selling nuke technology to N Korea.
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@Hip!
then why did US president has to condole with the president of Pakistan over those deaths and why did Clinton had to request pakistan to review its decision of boycotting the Bonn conference?
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Well, duuh! Pakistan aiming to imitate the successes of India is quite foolish.
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@Ali, 5 *5 * 5 countries speak in one word about pakistan ..Please check out germany’s newspaper or russian newspaper or brazil ,taiwan ,japanese ,south african news papers and you will hear in one voice – Terrorism. search again about India in the same news papers you will again hear in once voice – rising power… Now you dont need to be a slave in US and can work in pakistan as a king and uplift your folks.
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@Bangladeshi:
some follows rules but some follows its way and that becomes the rules and models. your allegations are just one-sided pakistani or anti-India version,
@Farhan:
owhh!! thats a new one. do you think that we are fools? we are the users and this is a multidimensional game, then ‘one used by others’.
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Economy verus terrorism!!!!!!!!
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@DJL: If Pakistan has its own uranium mines, why beg the Aussies to supply it? Too lazy or wanting a freebie?.
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@Bangladeshi:
NPT was screwed by countries like China, Iran, NKorea who are signatories, but yet proliferated merrily. The world recognises that even though India didnot sign the NPT, it’s non-proliferation record is far better than even many of the signatories. India’s agreement to inspection and separation of civil and military sites are in line with NPT requirements. Moreover another key element of NPT – disarmanent by the weapon states -have failed miserably.
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@DJL:
india got more uranium than pakistan. moreover the ores in the sub continent are not rich enough to extract the uranium economically. come out of bravado
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@Farhan:
dear friend, this has been bought to notice by Goi. thye rejected the demands of aussies and yankees for a trilateral pact, google it,
china is an eye soar for india since 1950s, so its not only american and australian but also India’s desire to walk against china.
over and out
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@ashok sai:
Oh I am so hurt that Indians would get Uranium from AUSTRALIA, I mean if its from Australia it must make an even bigger boom right. Indians are so funny always trying to stamp themselves as the best, not much different than Americans.
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Pakistan lost all credibility in the nuclear field, when the military establishment using AQ Khan (who had stolen it from Danes years back) as the frontman started exporting the deadly technology to other delinquent countries. Only country who would support Pakistan in this endeavor is China; supporter of despots around the world; which wants off load it’s obsolete plants on Pakistan and supports all the despots around the world.
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@Farhan:
It is a strategic necessity for India & other nations with similar geopolitical interests such as US, EU, Russia, Japan, Australia, Vietnam to form a coalition to contain China.
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Australia is risking it’s own security.Pakistan has nuclear bomb in addition to ‘non state actors’(exportable).
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J Iqbal
“…even US will think 100 times before waging a war against it.”
I am unable to think as to what Pakistan will do with its nukes should USA decide to wage a war with Pakistan.
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Pakistan goes around the world pleading to be treated as equal to India . Now the question is , why does Pakistan want to be seen equal to its hated enemy cunning India ? Have you ever heard India telling China to treat it like China treats Pakistan ?
Does it occur to Pakistan that every individual and country deserved to be treated on merit. Period.
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@Hip!: what do you think about the soldiers killed in Afghanistan ? Afghanistan is simply a battle field where British , Russians and now US is being lured .
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@JSM: Pakistan will not do anything , neither they need to do anything , if US attack directly to Pakistan , unfortunately (example) 3 nuclear weapons went into the hands of Al Qaeda taking advantage of US bombings near the nuclear bomb location .. Hope you understood what i said.
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@gregory: yes it was 10 times last time when Americans were thinking that by buying few people they could do anything at will , but the few people they feed till now are week and helpless before internal pressures.
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The only reason they want to goto India is because they are scared of Pakistan, and ofcourse India cant say no to her masters, India knows very well they are and will get screwed anyways by Pakistan regardless to if they go for this or not.
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J Iqbal
Yes I understand- but it does not hurt US of A unless Al Qaeda can also deliver the bombs there- an unlikely situation. Other countries may be ‘expandable’ in the event of PAK-US war.
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@JSM:
No need to deliver there. USA is controlling the world through nerves(allies in the regions) , to damage one nerve is enough to send the signal to others not to function normally .
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it will boost industrial development in India & help provide more electricity to rural areas.Good step.
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There is a phrase in Urdu called “Apni aukat may raho”.
This is my advise.
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@J Iqbal:
if US attack directly to Pakistan , unfortunately (example) 3 nuclear weapons went into the hands of Al Qaeda taking advantage of US bombings near the nuclear bomb location .. Hope you understood what i said.
Smart move, shaikh chilli! Since the US is out of reach, how do you know those weapons won’t be used during the next Ashura procession in Rawalpindi.
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