Antinuclear

Australia’s uranium to India – part of a disgraceful saga

Anxiety about uranium sales to India arises from the poor safety reputation of that country’s nuclear power industry and its development of nuclear weapons in violation of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

the visit looked for all the world like a sales pitch. The awarding of an Order of Australia to Indian batsman Sachin
Tandulkar was clearly intended to butter up customers for a big purchase.

 The truth is that Australia, taking its cue from the US, is not worried about India having nuclear arms. In fact, it fits in nicely with long-term planning in the Pentagon.

The grubby saga of uranium sales to India, CPA 25 Oct 12 Prime Minister Gillard’s visit to India last week was pure pantomime. She met her counterpart, Mr Manmohan Singh, and took part in all manner of events and photo opportunities in an effort to repair Australia’s damaged reputation on the sub-continent –…– and to seal a deal that has made many observers nervous.
Lobbying for Australia to sell uranium to India has been going on for
years and the vote at last December’s ALP National Conference
foreshadowed the federal government’s final capitulation.

Anxiety about uranium sales to India arises from the poor safety reputation of that country’s nuclear power industry and its development of nuclear weapons in violation of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. Gillard tried to smooth the nerves back home
about leaky power-plants and waste storage facilities by “demanding”
independent oversight of India’s nuclear program from the
International Atomic Energy Agency. At least, that’s how it was
reported in the decidedly pro-nuclear Murdoch press.
A peculiar aspect of the PM’s visit was that while the corporate media
were emphasising the safeguards and assurances being sought by the
Australian government, the visit looked for all the world like a sales
pitch. The awarding of an Order of Australia to Indian batsman Sachin
Tandulkar was clearly intended to butter up customers for a big
purchase.

India’s development of nuclear weapons has been another public
relations obstacle to the uranium deal. Tensions with nuclear-armed
neighbour Pakistan persist. “Assurances” that Australian uranium will
not find its way into Indian nuclear weapons are a joke – the exports
will simply free up uranium from other sources and allow them to be
committed to the nuclear weapons program. The truth is that Australia, taking its cue from the US, is not worried about India having nuclear arms. In fact, it fits in nicely with long-term planning in the Pentagon.

The US now has no problem with India’s blatant disregard of the
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty…….
US strategists want to roll back China’s influence and halt the growth
of its prestige. It makes more sense from the imperialist point of
view for Australia to cultivate economic and aggressive military ties
with India at the expense of China. And that’s what the ever-dutiful
Gillard has been doing. At the same time it has been helping the US to
expand its network of bases in the region including the new one for US
Marines in Darwin. The peace movement is stirring in Australia once
more as a result of the growing threat of war revealed in all these
developments. The building of this movement is an urgent task.
http://www.cpa.org.au/guardian/2012/1570/02-editorial.html

October 24, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News