Abbott govt to weaken safety regulations on uranium sales to India

There are indications that the Abbott government might be willing to dilute some of Australia’s monitoring safeguards

Australia seeks to draw India into tighter embrace with nuclear deal TNN | Feb 17, 2014, CANBERRA: Australia, which in the past has expressed serious reservations about New Delhi’s nuclear programme, appears extremely keen to close a deal to supply uranium to India. “We see it as a priority and want to move as quickly as possible. The political will certainly exists within this government,” Australia’s foreign minister Julie Bishop told reporters here even as the two countries were in the middle of their fourth round of talks for a civil nuclear cooperation agreement. …..

Both Bishop and Robb were critical of the Kevin Rudd-led Labour government for overturning Liberal predecessor John Howard’s decision to supply uranium to India……..

Rudd, who was considered an ‘Asianist’ (and was perhaps best known in the world of foreign policy for his knowledge of Mandarin), said no to uranium supplies to India primarily on the grounds that it is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). There are indications that the Abbott government might be willing to dilute some of Australia’s monitoring safeguards – for instance, end-user verification – which are actually more stringent than what the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) mandates and which India has little interest in agreeing to. According to Bishop, “The points of difference are narrowing, we have a couple of things to work through.”

While she would not elaborate, the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, of which Australia is a member, is said to be one of them. (There’s also a narrower self-interest in finding a new market for Australia’s uranium producers.) …………..

The Abbott government recognizes that a civil nuclear agreement with India perhaps has more symbolic than practical value. With governments around the world reviewing their nuclear power projects and plans, particularly in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, supply is chasing demand, which, in turn, has depressed global uranium prices; also, a number of producing countries are happy to supply the radioactive mineral without asking too many questions. …………….http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Australia-seeks-to-draw-India-into-tighter-embrace-with-nuclear-deal/articleshow/30540428.cms