Harper Says No Nukes For India

Finally the Harpocrite government has decided to take a stand in opposition to the U.S. In this case over the USA's new found nuclear alliance with India.

The real reason of course is less about enlightened politics than it is about dealing with American attempts to force Canada and Australia to clean up their nuclear waste, a punitive attempt to make US uranium exports appear more competitive.

That and of course the promotion of US nuclear plants, which are far less safe than the Canadian CANDU reactors. Harpers announcement about India, while good PR will probably last as long as when he and Howard get an agreement from their pal Bush to include them in his new nuclear pact. Yep colour me cycnical about Harper ever doing the 'right thing'.

Mr. Harper, speaking at a joint news conference with the Australian leader, said the Conservatives have not yet established a nuclear policy. But he believes nuclear reactors will be an important source of energy in the decades ahead.

But the question of supplying India is another matter, he suggested. "It's an issue we are looking at with some degree of caution."

Canadians are particularly sensitive on this point, he said, because India used Canadian-supplied technology in the early 1970s to put together its first crude nuclear bomb.

Mr. Harper said Canada will be looking to see if India signs on to international non-proliferation agreements as Ottawa decides whether to supply that country with nuclear technology.

Harper also said his government is "looking carefully" at a United States proposal that would compel uranium exporting countries such as Canada to repatriate and dispose of spent nuclear fuel.

The Bush administration has proposed creating the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, a consortium of nations that supply nuclear fuel in order to better control weapons proliferation. Canada and Australia together export 43 per cent of the world's uranium.

Neither Harper nor Howard directly addressed the question of repatriating nuclear fuel waste, but both indicated nuclear power is part of their countries energy future and that the U.S. proposal is in play.

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