Australia Snubs Pakistan on Uranium Deal

Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith has rejected a uranium export exemption for Pakistan. Pakistan raised some loud queries asking why Australia should not offer it uranium as it had done with India. “India brought itself under the governance of the international nuclear regulators, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group,” Smith said. “That has not occurred with Pakistan. There has never been a suggestion of (nuclear) proliferation from India,” he said. “Regrettably, over preceding years, there have been serious concerns about proliferation from Pakistan,” he said. Pakistan argued that Australia should export uranium to Islamabad as New Delhi, too, has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Smith said the uranium export decision reflected India’s global standing, and predicted it would become “one of the world’s three great powers”, along with the US and China.