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Uranium, Student Attacks Dominate Australia-India Talks

   Phil Mercer | Syndey  21 January 2011
   Indian  Minister  of  External  Affairs  S.  M.  Krishna  (L)  and his
   Australian  counterpart Kevin Rudd (R) shake hands after a joint press
   conference in Melbourne, 20 Jan 2011

Photo: AFP

   Indian  Minister  of  External  Affairs  S.  M.  Krishna  (L)  and his
   Australian  counterpart Kevin Rudd (R) shake hands after a joint press
   conference in Melbourne, 20 Jan 2011

   Indian  Foreign  Minister  S.M.  Krishna wraps up a three-day visit to
   Australia,  which  included  talks  on uranium sales and the safety of
   international students.
   Relations  between Australia and India are on the mend after they were
   strained  by  a  series of attacks on international students in Sydney
   and Melbourne.
   Since   June   2009  more  than  100  assaults  against  young  Indian
   expatriates  have  been  reported.  Many  were  thought to be racially
   motivated,  while Australian authorities stressed that others were the
   work of opportunistic thieves. New Delhi, however, accused Canberra of
   failing to protect its students.
   Australia  was stung by the criticism and ordered extra police patrols
   in known trouble spots.
   On  a  three-day  visit  to  Australia, Indiaâs foreign minister, R.M.
   Krishna, said the situation had improved markedly.
   "Indian  students  feel  quite  secure. They feel quite confident," he
   said.
   Krishna  has held lengthy talks with his Australian counterpart, Kevin
   Rudd  over a variety of regional and global concerns, including closer
   collaboration  on security issues in Asia. In addition, the two agreed
   to work closely in the G20 grouping of leading economies.
   Another  key  focus of the talks was uranium, which is used to produce
   nuclear power and weapons.
   Australia has about 34 percent of the worldâs easily extracted uranium
   reserves.  But  Australia  only  exports  it for use in civilian power
   stations  and does not sell it to countries, like India, that have not
   signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
   Foreign Minister Krishna asked Canberra to soften its stance.
   "I  did  raise  the  question of uranium supply to India in the larger
   context  of climate change. And if you have to have clean energy, then
   according  to  India the only option is to have nuclear energy, and if
   you  have  to have nuclear energy, then we certainly need uranium, but
   we  respect  Australia's  position  on  this  because  it is not India
   centric, it is not India specific," said Krishnaâ
   Australia  is  maintaining  its  position  on  uranium sales, although
   Foreign  Minister  Kevin  Rudd  said  India  has  managed  its nuclear
   capacity responsibly.
   "India  has  not  been responsible for a single act of nuclear weapons
   proliferation anywhere in the world," he said.
   Australia  is  eager  to  seize  business  and  trade opportunities in
   Indiaâs  fast-growing  economy.  India  is  Australiaâs  third largest
   export  market,  and  is  Indiaâs  six largest trade partner. Ties are
   expected  to  be  further  enhanced  later  this year when Rudd visits
   India.

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