Senator Christine Milne

Monday, 3 April 2006

Howard and Wen duck nuclear weapons question

Prime Minister John Howard’s deal with Chinese Premier Wen to sell Australian uranium  to China will see Australian uranium either directly or indirectly support China’s nuclear  weapons programme, the Australian Greens said today.

“The Chinese Ambassador to Australia in December 2005 said that China had  insufficient uranium for both its nuclear power and nuclear weapons programmes,”  Greens energy spokesperson Senator Christine Milne said in Launceston.   “It is obvious that Australian uranium will make up the shortfall.   “In the news conference announcing the deal in Canberra, Premier Wen ducked the  question as to whether Chinese uranium would be diverted from civilian nuclear reactors  to the weapons programme.   “All John Howard would say was that China’s safeguards arrangements with the  International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would apply.   “What must be understood is that China as a nuclear weapons state makes the decision  about which facilities will be open to inspection by the IAEA. These facilities can be  withdrawn from inspection at any time of China’s choosing.   “The agreements make clear that Australian yellowcake will go first to Chinese nuclear  facilities for conversion and these are outside the safeguards agreement.   “Whilst Prime Minister Howard says that Australian uranium will only be permitted to be  enriched to 20 per cent, there is no way that he can guarantee this as once the uranium is  converted into uranium hexafluoride it is impossible to tell from where it was sourced.   “Selling uranium to a military dictatorship which has already made nuclear materials and  technology available to Pakistan and Iran and which has so little respect for human rights  and industrial health and safety is putting dollars before human decency and global  security.   “Australia should be providing cutting-edge renewable energy technology to the world  and making a positive contribution to climate change and global security, rather than  supporting a politically reactionary regime and the build-up of nuclear weapons.”

Contact: Katrina Willis 03 6234 4566 or 0437 587 562

