APEC Leaders Must Stop The Russian Nuclear Threat

Senator Lyn Allison
Parliamentary Leader and Democrats Senator for Victoria
Australian Democrats spokesperson for Energy and Resources

APEC Leaders Must Stop The Russian Nuclear Threat

The Australian Democrats are challenging Prime Minister Howard and Russian President Vladimir Putin to explain to the other APEC leaders the threat to global security which would be triggered by the export of Australian uranium to Russia.

"The whole world has cause to be concerned if Australia sells its uranium to Russia - a country which oversaw the Chernobyl disaster, which is awash with corruption, sinister political disappearances and human rights abuses and which still has 10,000 nuclear weapons," Democrats Leader Senator Lyn Allison said today.

The arrival of Mr. Putin in Australia for APEC is a crucial opportunity for world leaders to seek frank explanations about Russia's intentions and to highlight the dangers to the international community posed by the export of Australian uranium.

Pro-democracy leader Garry Kasparov has recently warned that Australia will have to accept moral responsibility if Russia on-sells our uranium to rogue states.

"There is speculation that Australia will sign off on a deal to sell uranium to Russia for domestic purposes, but if that simply frees up Russia's reserves for nuclear weaponry the sale would be just as morally bankrupt and criminally negligent as if we were making the bombs ourselves", Senator Allison said.

"Russia has reserves which will last it eighty years. It has no need for Australian uranium unless it intends using it for weapons or for laundering it to non-NPT weapons states".

ENDS

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