India presses nuke case for uranium with Australia

Sydney, Nov 16: India's finance minister today pressed Australia's prime minister to give India access to the country's uranium, arguing it needs nuclear power if it is to reduce carbon emissions.

India has sought previously to buy Australian uranium, but Canberra earlier this year stood by its policy of not selling to countries, such as India, that have not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

India's finance minister, Mr Palaniappan Chidambaram, said he paid Australian leader John Howard a courtesy visit yesterday ahead of a weekend G20 conference in Melbourne.

Australia has more than 40 per cent of the world's known reserves of uranium.

''I did mention that India would expect Australia to support India's case in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and that we should be allowed access to uranium,'' Chidambaram told a briefing, adding that he believed Howard understood the Indian position.

The agreement, which has been delayed in the U S Senate, requires a rule change by the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which oversees nuclear exports and is divided over the deal.

Mr Chidambaram said India needed to pursue rapid economic growth, but was willing to accept its obligations to control emissions.

''For that I suggest we be given access to technology, especially clean coal technology and we be given access to uranium so that a significant proportion of our energy requirements can be met by nuclear energy,'' he said.

India currently generates about three per cent of its total energy production through nuclear power, and hopes to raise this level to ten per cent, he said.

Australia has 20 nuclear safeguards agreements covering 37 countries and Howard has long said Australia was keen for further uranium sales.

Reuters