Julia Gillard and her Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, swap notes in Seoul on Thursday night ahead of the G20 meeting, permit for Australian uranium to be enriched in Russia and use in its nuclear reactors. The agreement will help Russia to meet its increasing energy needs as it seeks to decrease its greenhouse emissions by diversify its energy sources and changing away from a reliance on fossil fuels," the Prime Minister said. Opposition capital spokesman Ian Macfarlane welcomed the announcement but added that if the government required helping other nations cut greenhouse gas emissions, "one of the most effective things it could do would be to consent to export uranium to India for use in electricity generation".
Coalition foreign relationships spokeswoman Julie Bishop said it was "highly insensitive" of Ms Gillard to make the statement on the sides of the G20 assembly when the Indian Prime Minister was also in Seoul. "The result to announce Australia will supply uranium to Russia while keep a ban on sales to India expose the hypocrisy of Labor's stance on uranium exports," she said. "Julia Gillard has efficiently said at the G20 meeting that the government trusts Russia to use our uranium for peaceful reason but that it doesn't trust India." The Greens spokesman on nuclear matters, Scott Ludlum, explain the announcement as "a disappointment", saying the government had gone beside 2008 advice from a House of Representatives group by selling to Russia.
"Trade Minister Simon Crean said at the occasion that the government and the International Atomic Energy Agency were fulfilled safeguards are in place to ensure the uranium is not used in weapons, but the IAEA has not inspected Russia for approximately a decade," Senator Ludlum told The Weekend Australian. Australian National University lecturer in international relations Michael McKinley said while the choice would offend India, that country was not a party to the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, unlike Russia. "If Russia is to be regard as part of the responsible global community, why not sell them uranium?" Dr McKinley asked.
Coalition foreign relationships spokeswoman Julie Bishop said it was "highly insensitive" of Ms Gillard to make the statement on the sides of the G20 assembly when the Indian Prime Minister was also in Seoul. "The result to announce Australia will supply uranium to Russia while keep a ban on sales to India expose the hypocrisy of Labor's stance on uranium exports," she said. "Julia Gillard has efficiently said at the G20 meeting that the government trusts Russia to use our uranium for peaceful reason but that it doesn't trust India." The Greens spokesman on nuclear matters, Scott Ludlum, explain the announcement as "a disappointment", saying the government had gone beside 2008 advice from a House of Representatives group by selling to Russia.
"Trade Minister Simon Crean said at the occasion that the government and the International Atomic Energy Agency were fulfilled safeguards are in place to ensure the uranium is not used in weapons, but the IAEA has not inspected Russia for approximately a decade," Senator Ludlum told The Weekend Australian. Australian National University lecturer in international relations Michael McKinley said while the choice would offend India, that country was not a party to the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, unlike Russia. "If Russia is to be regard as part of the responsible global community, why not sell them uranium?" Dr McKinley asked.
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