Australia is expected to carry out a major, and much awaited, course correction in its foreign policy by offering to negotiate sale of uranium to India during prime minister Julia Gillard’s three-day visit to the country.
Despite supporting the move by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in 2008 to allow India to conduct nuclear commerce, Australia continued to deny uranium to India for not having signed the NPT. Now, it is all set to enter into a civil nuclear cooperation with India, with the core of this cooperation being the safeguards agreement that will allow Australia to bypass opposition from various groups, which are opposing the Labor government’s decision to overturn the ban on uranium sale to India.
The uranium agreement with Australia, apart from ensuring a steady supply of the yellowcake, will also have great symbolic significance for India as it will mark yet another international ‘acceptance’ of its nuclear weapons programme.
Australians are likely to insist on regular reports from Indian authorities about how uranium is used and the state in which it is stored.
No comments:
Post a Comment