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MINISTER FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY   SENATOR GARETH EVANS Q.C.  / 21 February 1985  14/85 URANIUM SAFEGUARDS SYSTEM I endorse the action taken today by the Minister for   Trade, Mr Dawkins, in approving a shipment of Ranger   uranium pursuant to the contract with the German firm   Urangesellschaft. It is clear from the material available to the Minister that the uranium will not in fact be used in France, and   so no question arises of any breach of Australia's present   policy. No difficulty will in fact arise in tracking the end use   of this material, if it is in fact delivered in the first   instance to France rather then Germany. Once the shipment enters France, it will be covered by the   terms of our bilateral Safeguards Agreements with that   country and with Euratom, and the notification and   tracking procedures under that Agreement will apply. If it should first enter Germany, it will be covered by the   Euratom Agreement. France is obliged under the Agreement to seek prior consent before any Australian-origin nuclear material is   transferred out of its territory. The tracking of the material, here as elsewhere, is done   by the Australian Safeguards Office (ASO), based in Sydney, which operates a highly sophisticated and   comprehensive accounting system to ensure the proper   implementation not only of the kind of bilateral agreements involved here, but also the multilateral   safeguards arrangements established by the International   Atomic Energy Agency under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation   Treaty. < \ - 2 - Before any exports are authorised the ASO is in touch with   its counterparts in all countries through which exports   pass. (In the case of Europe this body is the Euratom   Safeguards Directorate which track's and accounts for   uranium in the E C ) . Australia has 10 bilateral safeguards agreements in place   which embrace 17 countries. Each approved export contract   provides for uranium exported under those contracts to be   subject to our bilateral safeguards agreements. The   agreements themselves provide that transfers to third   countries can only take place with Australian consent. Hence commercial customers not only are required to ensure   that uranium is used consistently with peaceful purposes   as provided for in our agreements, but they are unable to   onsell any uranium to countries with which we do not have   a safeguards agreement. ** ** ** ** ** Canberra

21 February 1985

14/85

URANIUM SAFEGUARDS SYSTEM

I endorse the action taken today by the Minister for

Trade, Mr Dawkins, in approving a shipment of Ranger

uranium pursuant to the contract with the German firm

Urangesellschaft.

It is clear from the material available to the Minister

that the uranium will not in fact be used in France, and

so no question arises of any breach of Australia's present

policy.

No difficulty will in fact arise in tracking the end use

of this material, if it is in fact delivered in the first

instance to France rather then Germany.

Once the shipment enters France, it will be covered by the

terms of our bilateral Safeguards Agreements with that

country and with Euratom, and the notification and

tracking procedures under that Agreement will apply. If

it should first enter Germany, it will be covered by the

Euratom Agreement.

France is obliged under the Agreement to seek prior

consent before any Australian-origin nuclear material is

transferred out of its territory.

The tracking of the material, here as elsewhere, is done

by the Australian Safeguards Office (ASO), based in

Sydney, which operates a highly sophisticated and

comprehensive accounting system to ensure the proper

implementation not only of the kind of bilateral

agreements involved here, but also the multilateral

safeguards arrangements established by the International

Atomic Energy Agency under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation

Treaty. <

\

- 2 -

Before any exports are authorised the ASO is in touch with

its counterparts in all countries through which exports

pass. (In the case of Europe this body is the Euratom

Safeguards Directorate which track's and accounts for

uranium in the E C ) .

Australia has 10 bilateral safeguards agreements in place

which embrace 17 countries. Each approved export contract

provides for uranium exported under those contracts to be

subject to our bilateral safeguards agreements. The

agreements themselves provide that transfers to third

countries can only take place with Australian consent.

Hence commercial customers not only are required to ensure

that uranium is used consistently with peaceful purposes

as provided for in our agreements, but they are unable to

onsell any uranium to countries with which we do not have

a safeguards agreement.

** ** ** ** **

Canberra

