Australia wants to develop strategic ties with India

Ajay Kaul

New Delhi, Sept 6 (PTI) Australia has ruled out uranium
sale to New Delhi but is keen to develop strategic partnership
and ensure that India becomes a "front-ranking" nation with
which it has such ties.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said her
country wants to build defence and security ties with India.

"We understand that energy security is important for
India... (But) we have a longstanding position about uranium
sales and nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT)," she told
PTI in an interview here while explaining why Australia will
not supply the nuclear fuel to India.

Australia has taken a position that it will not supply
uranium to a country which has not signed NPT.

"We do have this longstanding in-principle position about
sale of uranium to non-NPT countries... That is not policy
that is focus in relation to India, that is general policy,"
said Gillard during her just-concluded visit here.

Australia has refused to give uranium even though it
supported grant of waiver to India by the 45-nation Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG) last year.

Gillard, however, said there is good prospect of
cooperation between India and Australia on energy security.

"We are a nation that has big coal reserves and
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)," Gillard elaborated.

The Australian Deputy Prime Minister said her country
wants to develop strategic ties with India and that her visit
here was in that context.

Movement on this front could be expected when Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd undertakes a visit here in the next few
months.

Asked why the quadrilateral format of security
cooperation among India, Australia, the US and Japan had
fizzled out, she said "there was no enthusiasm from any of the
nations to continue in that particular form" of partnership.

"We want to build direct relations with India, direct
friendship with India, to build into a strategic partnership,
for India to be in the front-rank of the nations with whom we
have strategic partnership and a strong relationship. Our
focus is on doing that," said Gillard.

There have been reports that Australia developed cold
feet on the four-nation cooperation after China raised
questions over it.

Identifying areas of cooperation, Gillard said security
is one of the key elements which will cover the threat of
terrorism also.

Besides free trade, cooperation on issues like climate
change, particularly technology and research exchange and
education are other sectors in which Australia wants to
develop ties.

In the education sector, the two sides have agreed on
setting up an annual dialogue. PTI AKK
SDE