India asks Australia to show 'flexibility' on uranium export

Saurabh Chaturvedi
Perth, Jun 7 (PTI) India Monday asked Australia to
show "flexibility" on its position that it would not export
uranium to New Delhi, saying Canberra should think again as
the global community is slowly coming around to "supporting
India" on the supply of nuclear fuel.
Indian Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who met
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith on Monday, asked the
government to show "flexibility" on its policy not to supply
uranium to India as it had not signed the NPT.
"The whole world is supporting India. Those countries
who are lagging behind, they should think (again)," Shinde
told reporters after his meeting with Smith.
Shinde is leading an Indian delegation to participate
in the two-day Australia-India Energy and Minerals Forum
starting tomorrow.
The government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has
repeatedly made it clear that Australia, a major producer of
uranium, will not supply the yellow cake to NPT
non-signatories -- Indian being one of them.
Noting that the previous Australian government had
supported export of uranium to India, officials said with
general elections due in the country later this year, things
might change. "So, there is no harm in reiterating our
demand," they said.
However, the Australian Foreign Minister skirted the
issue, saying is was a "different policy approach" among
friends. He said the issue was "recognised and understood by
both the countries over a long period of time."
"It is an area where there is a different policy
approach between friends. That won't get into the way of a
very large potential (for cooperation) in minerals and
resources," Smith said.
Indian High Commissioner Sujatha Singh said "the ball
is in Australia's court now."
India has set a revised target of producing 62,302 MW
of energy by 2011-12. At present, it produces 1.59 lakh MW of
power, in which NTPC has a major share.
India is working on a clean energy portfolio, in which
uranium-run plants would play vital role besides mega plans to
tap wind and solar energy.
At present, Nuclear Power Corporation of India
produces power using uranium available in the country. PTI