Melbourne: Australia`s ruling Labor on Sunday voted to overturn a decades-old ban on uranium sale to India,
paving the way for Canberra to supply yellowcake to a nation
outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Delegates at the 46th national conference of the Labor in
Sydney endorsed Prime Minister Julia Gillard`s plan to export
uranium to India, with 206 of them voting in favour and 185
against.
Gillard, while moving a motion to change the party`s
policy on the issue, said that clearing the move would boost
trade and enhance Australia`s ties with India.
"We are at the right time in the history of the world to
seize a new era of opportunity in this, the Asian century,"
she said.
"We need to make sure that across our regions we have the
strongest possible relationships we can, including with the
world`s largest democracy, India," she said.
The landmark policy change came after a fiery debate,
with Gillard, who was supported by Resources Minister Martin
Ferguson, Defence Minister Stephen Smith and South Australian
Premier Jay Weatherill, saying that it was not rational that
Australia sells uranium to China but not to India.
She also faced opposition from some of her own ministers.
Australia has almost 40 per cent of the world`s known
uranium reserves but has not been supplying yellowcake to
non-NPT signatories. India has been requesting Canberra for
long to overturn it ban on exporting uranium to it.
PTI
