Pure Howard Hypocricy

So India has a good non-proliferation record does is Mr Howard?

Mr Howard will be speaking to his Indian counterpart today about the possible supply of uranium.

He has told Parliament that he does not believe Australia should refuse to sell uranium to India when it sells to China.

But Mr Howard says there would be conditions including that India agreed to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"India does have a very good non-proliferation track record [and] it has indicated that it does not intend to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," he said.

So apart from BUILDING ILLEGAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS is has a great non proliferation record.  What does a country have to do to get a bad non proliferation record.  This is what it takes to NOT sell uranium to a country:

THERE'S no prospect in the near future of Australia exporting uranium to Pakistan, says Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.

The Federal Government yesterday confirmed it was considering selling uranium to Pakistan nuclear rival India.

Apparently Pakistan illegally constructed nuclear weapons so of course we will not sell uranium to them.

I wonder if Iran needs uranium?

Comments

[davidp]

I don't think India built illegal nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are only illegal if you have signed a treaty saying you won't build them - the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NNPT). India never signed this, having already declared its intention to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran, Iraq, Libya and North Korea all signed the NNPT and then worked on nuclear weapons while having agreed not to. That is illegal.

India has has nuclear weapons technology since 1974 and has apparently never passed it on to any other country - that is a good non-proliferation record - better than the Soviet Union, China, France (supplier to Iraq prior to France's 1992 signing of the NNPT) and Israel (suspected helper of South Africa's nuclear weapons program).

Pakistan was not part of the NNPT and sold nuclear weapons equipment and plans to Libya, Iran, North Korea, and probably anyone who wanted them and had the money. That is how to "get a bad non-proliferation record".

I think the NNPT should be amended to recognise India as a Nuclear Weapons State and India allowed to join on that basis. It's a pretty dubious act of the five Nuclear Weapons States as of 1968 refusing to recognise India as a Nuclear Weapons States.

No disagreement that Howard's being a hypocrite. He's mainly doing this because George Bush wants to. Australia also trading nuclear fuel with India will legitimise the U.S. trading nuclear technology with them - just live Australia joining in the invasion of Iraq was intended to legitimise the U.S. operation.

[Ender]

davidp - "I don't think India built illegal nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are only illegal if you have signed a treaty saying you won't build them - the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NNPT). India never signed this, having already declared its intention to develop nuclear weapons."

That is partly true however after the major power developed nuclear weapons they then made it illegal for other countries to develop them, itself an act of unbelievable hypocrisy. India's production of nuclear weapons was illegal even though they did not sign the treaty.

I agree that Pakistan is worse than India however only by degree and the nuclear secrets were sold by an individual rather than the nation.

The real solution is not to use nuclear power.