Russia says uranium deal unaffected

AAP - Russia is arguing that the current troubles in Georgia shouldn't affect a deal it has struck to buy Australian uranium.
Conservationists are urging the federal government to reconsider the deal, struck by
the former Howard government last year, which allows Russia to buy Australian
uranium for civilian purposes under strict safeguards.

Australian Conservation Foundation nuclear free campaigner David Noonan said the
deal was not appropriate given Russia's military action in Georgia.
"Recent events in Georgia cast the shadow of war and nuclear threat over ...
(Foreign Minister) Stephen Smith's decision on the Russian nuclear treaty," he said.

"It is clearly not appropriate and should have no place in Australia's future."
The agreement is currently under review by the Treaties Committee before going to
the government for final ratification.

Russian ambassador Alexander Blokhin, who met Mr Smith on Thursday to discuss the
Georgian situation, said he saw no reason to link the two issues.
The matter was not discussed during his meeting with Mr Smith.

"No, we haven't touched upon this," he told reporters.
"That wasn't the aim of this meeting. The agreement has been signed and Russia
doesn't see any connection between what is going on in the Caucasus and co-operation
in the field of peaceful atomic energy."

The 30-minute meeting, initiated by Mr Blokhin to explain Russia's view of the
situation in Georgia, was described as "calm and constructive" dialogue by the
Russian ambassador.

Mr Blokhin, speaking through a translator, said he didn't see any reason why the
issue needed to affect relations between Russia and Australia.

"We of course are strictly against any worsening of relations between Australia and
Russia," he said.

Russia has angered the West by recognising the Georgian rebel regions of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
The move compounds international condemnation of Russia's response to a Georgian
offensive to retake South Ossetia earlier this month.
A spokesperson for Mr Smith said the meeting had been a "frank exchange of views".

Mr Smith told Mr Blokhin that Australia believed Russia's decision to declare the
regions independent had not been a helpful contribution to the situation in Georgia.
It was unhelpful for Russia's current relations with the rest of the world, as well.

"Mr Smith stated that Australia respects the territorial integrity of Georgia and
believes that Russia should abide by ceasefire arrangements and return to the
positions they occupied (before the conflict)," she said.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Andrew Robb urged the government to take a
tougher line with Russia.

"Mr Smith has said that he will be conveying Australia's protest over the situation
in Georgia to the Russian ambassador in Australia," he said.
"But the minister must now go one step further and show Russia that there are
consequences to its actions and its trampling over Georgia's sovereignty."

Mr Robb wants the government to change its diplomatic arrangements so that the
Australian Embassy in Moscow is no longer responsible for representing Australia's
interests in former Soviet states.

"Australia should move to reposition our representation away from Moscow, of the
nine former Soviet states who still receive Australian representation via our Moscow
Embassy," he said.
"Many, if not all, of these countries are known to be very uncomfortable with
continuing Australian representation via Russia."