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Australia wrong to sell uranium to India, says former conservative Prime Minister

A reason India wants access to nuclear trade including uranium is precisely to further its nuclear proliferation. Senior Indian military leaders have publicly said so…..

India reserves the right to classify future reactors as civilian or military. It was not required in return to commit to significant positive measures – indeed, it has made no nuclear disarmament commitments, it has not ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Why Gillard’s uranium-to-India policy is dangerously wrong, SMH Malcolm Fraser, December 12, 2011 Canberra’s abject submission to US pressure is shameful. ON SELLING uranium to India, Julia Gillard is wrong, dead wrong. Ramming the policy change through a deeply divided ALP national conference last weekend was not smart politics, but a failure of leadership.

The unequivocal longer-term consequences of this policy backflip are aggravating India’s nuclear arms race with Pakistan and eroding the already failing brakes on proliferation of nuclear weapons. A nuclear war between India and Pakistan is not some theoretical possibility, but a real and growing danger. …. Continue reading →

December 12, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, India, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Australian Labor Party trashes Nuclear Non Proliferation in rush to make uranium money out of India

Indeed, proponents of the platform change [to sell uranium to India] generally made no acknowledgment that India was the first and only state in the world to acquire nuclear weapons as a result of international cooperation on the basis of it being for peaceful purposes – nor her belligerent testing in the mid-1990s; her rather public nuclear arms race with Pakistan; her failure to fully comply with international safeguards and monitoring initiatives; her problems with the US despite a comparable bilateral agreement in place concerning technology and expertise. Nor the rather significant point that none of the cited measures are enforceable under international law – they are considerably difficult to monitor, verify and enforce.

Australian Labor Party  downplay arms control considerations, Crikey.com, December 5, 2011 , by NAJ Taylor On Sunday, the Australian Labor Party voted 206 to 185 in favour of changing one part of the party’s longstanding and non-negotiable platform on uranium exports: that recipient states must be members of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).

The express intention of the change in policy platform is to lift the ban on uranium sales to India, who are among those three states globally that remain outside – and have no intention of joining – the NPT. With the opposition Coalition having been in support of such a move for some time, the vote is expected to have immediate policy ramifications.

Of little consequence now, the Greens do have a well-known policy position on uranium that clearly states: “The Australian Greens will […] prohibit the exploration for, and mining and export of, uranium”.

Misrepresenting India’s record – it is a grave error to cite India’s nuclear weapons record – which is sub-optimal, not “exemplary”, as is often recycled – as evidence in support of a policy change that is predominately driven by political, commercial and diplomatic pressures. Continue reading →

December 5, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Russia calls on North Korea to stop nuclear program

Russia Urges North Korea to Halt Nuclear Activities, VOA, December 1st, 2011  Russia has urged North Korea to halt its uranium enrichment program and re-admit United Nations nuclear monitors to pave the way for international disarmament talks.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that consistent implementation of the uranium program in North Korea cannot but create serious worry. It called on Pyongyang to announce a moratorium on all of its nuclear activities including the uranium enrichment program.

Moscow is also urging its communist neighbor to invite inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to examine its nuclear program and verify that it is purely peaceful. The call comes after North Korea Wednesday announced progress in producing enriched uranium for its light-water nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear facility.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on North Korea Wednesday to take concrete steps to abandon its nuclear program and promote peace and stability….. http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/12/01/russia-urges-north-korea-to-halt-nuclear-activities/

December 3, 2011 Posted by | North Korea, politics international, Uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear lobby turns to Middle East, as Western countries and Japan go cold on nuclear power

Nuclear Power Goes Rogue, The Daily Beast, Henry Sokolski, Nov 28, 2011  Post-Fukushima, the market for nuclear power is changing latitudes. Here’s what’s at stake. As the full cost of the Fukushima nuclear accident continues to climb—Japanese officials now peg it at $64 billion or more—nuclear power’s future is literally headed south.

Developed countries are slowing or shuttering their nuclear-power programs, while states to their south, in the world’s hotspots (think the Middle East and Far East), are pushing to build reactors of their own. Normally, this would lead to even more of a focus on nuclear safety and nonproliferation. Yet, given how nuclear-reactor sales have imploded in the world’s advanced economies, both these points have been trumped by nuclear supplier states’ desires to corner what reactor markets remain.

Certainly, nuclear sales opportunities are far less flush than they once were.  Continue reading →

November 30, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, politics international | Leave a comment

Jaitapur nuclear plant delayed in haggles over Nuclear Liability Law, and Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty

Jaitapur nuclear plant work may not start before 2014 France, says Bernard Bigot, remains committed to fulfil all its obligations LiveMint.com 28 Nov 11Makarand Gadgil Mumbai: French Atomic Energy Commission chairman Bernard Bigot said on Monday that work on the Jaitapur nuclear power project in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra was unlikely to start before 2014 due to regulatory hurdles
He referred to the delay in concluding the commercial contract between Areva and the government-owned Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd (NPCIL) Continue reading →

November 29, 2011 Posted by | France, India, politics international | Leave a comment

A nuclear Iran is likely and acceptable to the world

World will accept Nuclear Iran, says Israeli economist Times of India  Nov 25, 2011, JERUSALEM: A leading Israeli investment firm today said the world is likely to grudgingly accept a nuclear Iran given the high price any military strike on its nuclear facilities is going to exact.

“A sharp rise in the price of oil, the costs of war and the damage to global trade would be too great and deter world powers from taking any serious action,” Amir Kahanovich, chief economist at Clal Finance, one of Israel’s largest brokerage houses, said.

This assessment is in sharp contrast to Israel’s stated official position that Tehran’s nuclear aspirations are unacceptable and that all options are on the table to foil the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions.

In a report titled ‘The Iranian Issue through Economic Eyes’, Kahanovich laid out different courses of action, ranging from additional “light sanctions” to military strikes, and told investors that the world is likely to balk at taking the steps needed to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the Ha’aretz newspaper reported.

Even for Israel the economic cost of a military confrontation that could include retaliatory missile attacks by Tehran and proxies in Gaza and Lebanon would be too high, he predicted.

“Unfortunately, it appears that a nuclear Iran is the most reasonable scenario,” the economist inferred.  His remarks came after President Shimon Peres said earlier this month that an attack on Iran was becoming increasingly more likely.

November 27, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Iran and Kuwait – the double standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

It would be hard to find a more volatile place [than Kuwait] to build a nuclear installation. Oh, and the land is low lying and subject to silting and shifting.

Nuclear Madness: Iran, Kuwait or the IAEA?, Morning Star,  25 November 2011, by Felicity Arbuthnot As the sabre-rattling against Iran becomes more deafening – with threats of potentially creating a few Chenobyls or a Fukushima by bombing working nuclear power plants – another potential nuclear madness is planned.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) appears to be behaving in a partisan and shameless way regarding Iran, much as it did with Iraq.

With Iraq, accusations abounded that the inspection teams were more about spying than neutral observation. “The way back to the UN was via Tel Aviv,” one former inspector memorably remarked.

Gareth Porter has meticulously and comprehensively trashed the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) latest report on Iran, showing disturbing parallels with the tragic Iraq fiasco. Continue reading →

November 27, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international, United Arab Emirates | Leave a comment

Iran is ‘the most threatened country in the world’

few observers believe Iran would dare attack Israel, a suicidal move if ever there was one. And it’s why Israel grasps at excuses to preemptively attack Iran, a far more plausible scenario than an Iranian attack on Israel.

 …Iran is the most threatened country in the world….

Why everybody except Iran can have nuclear weapons, GERALD CAPLAN, Globe and Mail , Nov. 25, 2011 It is deeply regrettable that Iran may one day join the not-so-exclusive club of nations that possess nuclear weapons. It is a potential danger the world doesn’t need. If you’ll forgive an outburst of preposterous idealism, it would be kind of neat to have a world with no nuclear arms whatsoever.

But for the life of me I don’t see how the world convinces Iran it’s not entitled to such weapons when Pakistan, North Korea, Russia, India, China, the United States, France, Britain and Israel all have them. Continue reading →

November 27, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Russia unhappy with being encircled by USA missile shield in Europe

Russia says missiles to target US nuclear shield in Europe, Dmitry Medvedev accuses Washington and Nato of ignoring Moscow’s concern at defences they say are aimed at Iran Associated Press in Moscow guardian.co.uk,   24 November 2011  Russia has threatened to deploy missiles to target the US missile shield in Europe if Washington fails to assuage Moscow’s concerns about its plans.

The harsh warning reflects deep cracks in US-Russian ties despite Barack Obama’s efforts to “reset” relations with the Kremlin. President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday that he still hopes for a deal with the US on missile defence, but he accused Washington and itsNato allies of ignoring Russia’s worries. He said Russia will have to take military countermeasures if the US continues to build the shield without legal guarantees that it will not be aimed against Russia.

The US has repeatedly assured Russia its proposed missile defence system would not be directed against Russia’s nuclear forces, and it did that again on Wednesday…..http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/24/russia-targets-us-missile-shield

November 25, 2011 Posted by | politics international, Russia, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Nuclear Suppliers discriminated in favour of India, in order to sell USA nuclear reactors

India is now in the privileged position of being the only known country with nuclear weapons which is not a party to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty but is permitted to carry on nuclear commerce with the rest of the world.  The discrimination is in India’s favour, not against it.. 

Nuclear policy and process dumped at the drop of a hat, The Drum, Paul Barratt, 21 Nov 11 “………India is not a party to the NPT, has never been, has developed a nuclear weapons capability as a non-member of the Treaty, and accordingly, is in an entirely different position from China vis a vis Australian uranium export policy.

As part of a deal to enable India to gain access to US and other nuclear technologies, President Manmohan Singh and then President George W. Bush issued a joint statement in July 2005 to the effect that India would separate its civil and military nuclear activities and place all its civil facilities under IAEA safeguards, in return for which the United States would work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India.  An IAEA Safeguards agreement was signed in 2008, and India was granted an exemption by the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an export control group that had been established mainly inresponse to India’s first nuclear test in 1974. Continue reading →

November 23, 2011 Posted by | India, politics international | Leave a comment

How USA can financially rip off India – cutting through the ‘spin’

The hard reality is that the government has watered down the nuclear liability law to accommodate the US business interests….

The watering down has been done in close consultation with Washington and the latter’s rhetoric in the most recent weeks shows that it is simply thrilled with what the mandarins in the PMO have been doing behind closed doors.   

It is no small matter that India is generating such a fantastic volume of nuclear business for the US companies – it could be anywhere up to 100 billion dollars. 
This is on top of the arms purchases. 

India delivers, it’s Obama’s turn now, Rediff.com, 18 Nov 11 Timing is three-fourths in international diplomacy. The spectacular display of 3 happy coincidences on the eve of PM Manmohan Singh’s pow-vow with US President Barack Obama in Bali is near-perfect in timing:

* India successfully test-firing Agni-IV missile that has a reach over large areas of the Chinese hinterland;
* Australia’s change of heart about selling uranium to India and,

* Delhi announcing the rules for the implementation of India’s nuclear liability law. …..
The enormous US penetration of the Indian media and think tanks in the recent decades all but ensures that the opinion-making can be calibrated.  Continue reading →

November 19, 2011 Posted by | India, politics international, USA | Leave a comment

India tows America’s line, making Nuclear Liability Law ineffective

India caved in to foreign pressure on nuclear liability’ Times of India, IANS | Nov 17, 2011, NEW DELHI: India caved in to foreign pressure by diluting the right to seek recourse from foreign suppliers as per the rules notified under the Civil Nuclear Liability Act, said Greenpeace on Thursday.

“Following protests by opposition parties and the civil society, the right to recourse for the operator to seek compensation from foreign suppliers was included in the draft last year and approved by the parliament. This clause has now been reduced to being insignificant,” said a statement issued by the environment issues NGO. Reacting to the notification of the rules, Greenpeace nuclear and energy campaigner, Karuna Raina said: “The notified rule considerably changes it from what was approved last year amid protest from the opposition, both inside and outside the parliament.”

“The government has undone the efforts put in by thousands of individuals and organisations that fought for a stringent Liability Act. The lessons learnt from Bhopal tragedy have clearly not made any difference to the government. For them foreign interest is paramount and much above wellbeing of its peoples,” she said.  India had Wednesday notified the implementation rules for the civil nuclear liability law… http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/developmental-issues/-India-caved-in-to-foreign-pressure-on-nuclear-liability/articleshow/10773027.cms

November 19, 2011 Posted by | India, politics international | Leave a comment

USA’s new military base in Australia seen as threatening by some in China

The Global Times, a tabloid owned by the Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper, hit hard upon the theme of besiegement. It quoted a People’s Liberation Army major general as saying that the expanded U.S. training and deployment base inAustralia was one of a series of U.S. installations to “encircle China from the north to the south of the Asia-Pacific region.”….

Beijing is wary of Obama’s assertive China policy Taiwan news, By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press  2011-11-18   President Barack Obama‘s sudden moves to contest rising Chinese power are setting this capital on edge, even if in public the response has been muted. Continue reading →

November 19, 2011 Posted by | China, politics international, USA | Leave a comment

Support for a diplomatic solution to issue of Iran’s nuclear programme

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)  issued a statement on Friday expressing support for Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities. 
NAM reiterates its principled position that diplomacy and dialogue are the only way for a long-term solution of Iran’s nuclear issue. NAM encourages all Member States to contribute positively to that effect…..
International officials call for diplomatic solution to Iran nuclear issue TEHRAN TIMES, 19 Nov 11– A number of international officials, including the Russian foreign minister, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, and Indian prime minister, have called for the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program to be resolved through diplomatic channels.
However, the 5+1 group countries (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany), during a meeting of the 35-member International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors in Vienna, which opened on Thursday and closed on Friday, approved a draft resolution criticizing Iran for its nuclear activities but deferred any discussion of new United Nations sanctions until the spring.  Continue reading →

November 19, 2011 Posted by | Iran, politics international | 1 Comment

Indian government bows to USA wishes on Nuclear Liability Law

Ahead of PM-Obama meeting, India notifies nuclear liability rules

‎http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/ahead-of-pm-obama-meeting-india-notifies-nuclear-liability-rules-150519

Govt notifies Rules: N-supplier liability to be ‘limited in time’, Indian Express, 17 Nov 11The foreign suppliers of nuclear material to Indian nuclear power plants would not be held liable for accidents caused by defective or faulty equipment supplied by them if the accident takes place after a guarantee period specified by them.

  According to the Rules of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act, which was made public today, suppliers of nuclear material would be allowed to specify a ‘product liability period’ beyond which they would not be held liable for any accident.

The operator of the nuclear power plant concerned would therefore have no ‘right of recourse’ against the suppliers after this period is over. Continue reading →

November 17, 2011 Posted by | India, politics, politics international, USA | Leave a comment

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