Howard's march to Bush's nuclear tune dangerous

Howard's march to Bush's nuclear tune dangerous: Greens

Australians ought to be shocked that Prime Minister John Howard has fallen into line behind US President George Bush in advocating nuclear power and undermining the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Australian Greens energy spokesperson Senator Christine Milne said today.

"The Howard and Bush governments want to sell nuclear reactor technology and uranium to India, a non-signatory to the NPT and which is already building a fast breeder reactor and has rejected international inspections," Senator Milne said in Canberra.

"There is no doubt that a US nuclear reactor fuelled by Australian uranium would produce plutonium, which could be used for Indian nuclear weapons.

"Making the world more dangerous is utter hypocrisy from the coalition of the willing who threaten Iran and then facilitate India's own nuclear aspirations.

"Dressing up their uranium mining and nuclear trade agendas as measures to address climate change is disgraceful and exposes the hollowness of their Asia Pacific climate pact.

"Nuclear power is too expensive and too slow to address climate change. Germany has rejected it, choosing instead to invest in renewable energy, and so should we.

"Ten years of John Howard's 'me-tooism' is ten years too many."

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