CANBERRA, 18 SEPTEMBER 2008: The Medical Association for Prevention of War has welcomed the recommendations of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties that Australia does not proceed with uranium sales to Russia until far more stringent measures are in place to separate Russia’s civilian and military facilities.

Five Liberal and National party members of the committee issued a dissenting report, seemingly on the basis of faith that things will improve when Australian exports begin. Liberal member Kevin Andrews did not sign either document. 

Association President Dr Sue Wareham congratulated the Committee on taking seriously both the inadequacy of current safeguards as they relate to Russia, and Australia’s responsibilities as a uranium exporter.

“The committee, in proposing that the separation of civilian and military uses of uranium be verified by IAEA inspections, have understood the alarming truth of the existing system” Dr Wareham said.

“As MAPW told the committee, the current safeguards cannot guarantee that Australian uranium would not end up in Russian nuclear weapons”

“The five nuclear weapons states which are party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPTi), including Russia, are under much less scrutiny than states that do not yet have nuclear weapons. For example, the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, has confirmed that Russia’s military sites are off limits for inspection."

"Worse still, no IAEA report or safeguards statement since 1995 makes mention of actual inspections in Russian facilities,” said Dr Wareham.

The Committee has also recommended that Russia should fulfil its obligations under the NPT treaty, before Australia considers selling Russia our uranium.

“MAPW believes that Australia should not sell uranium to any nuclear weapons states, including Russia. All of the 5 nuclear weapons states that are party to the NPT are in breach of the treaty by their refusal to get rid of their nuclear weapons,” Dr Wareham concluded.

• Media comment: see our media release or contact our office.
• JSCOT Committee report: On APH website - scroll down, Chapter 2 is the Russia report
• Dr Sue Wareham's oral submission to the Committee: See Hansard transcript - page 2.

CANBERRA, 18 SEPTEMBER 2008: The Australian Government has received a Committee report recommending against ratifying a treaty which would have allowed uranium sales to Russia to proceed. 

The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties has recommended that stringent conditions be met before the treaty is ratified. MAPW has welcomed this outcome (see separate story and media release).

The report's recommendations are as follows:

List of recommendations regarding Agreement with the Russian Federation on cooperation in the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes

Recommendation 1
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government not proceed with ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Russian Federation on Cooperation in the Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes until:
(a) Russia’s reform process to clearly separate its civilian nuclear and military nuclear facilities is completed and independently verified;
(b) IAEA inspections are implemented for Russian facilities that will handle Australian Obligated Nuclear Materials;
(c) The Government is satisfied that the Russian Federation is complying with its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPTi) noting that this treaty is scheduled for review in 2010;
(d) The Government is satisfied that Russia will not subsequently abandon this treaty or other nuclear treaties;
(e) Further consideration is given to the potential ramifications for this agreement of recent political events affecting Russia;
(f) Further consideration is given to Article IX of the Agreements, ‘State Secrets’, and the Government is confident that this article will not undermine the intent of this agreement;
(g) Further consideration is given to the justification for secrecy of ‘Material Unaccounted For’; and
(h) The Australian Government discusses with the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada and Japan, whether the problems of the past in relation to Russian nuclear material being stolen, have now been addressed satisfactorily.

Recommendation 2
The Committee reiterates its earlier recommendation, made in Report 81:
The Committee recommends that the Australian Government lobbies the IAEA and the five declared nuclear weapons states under the NPT to make the safeguarding of all conversion facilities mandatory.

Recommendation 3
The Committee recommends that Australian efforts to strengthen the resourcing of the IAEA be continued.