January 18, 2011 8:11 PM

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Australia urged to revisit its stand on non-selling of uranium to India

India on Tuesday urged Australia to revisit its stand on not selling uranium to it and expressed hope that there will be a change soon. Ahead of the External affairs minister's visit to Australlia, the spokesman of MEA Vishnu Prakash said in New Delhi that enhancing energy cooperation will be high on the agenda of talks. He said, Mr.Krishna who is leaving for Melbourne on Tuesday night, is expected to take up the issue of Uranium supply when he meets his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd in Melbourne for the annual foreign minister-level dialogue on Thrusday. AIR correspondent reports that India feels that the chances of Canberra relaxing its policy have brightened in view of the powerful endorsement by leading members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, including the US, France and Russia, for India to join elite nuclear groupings like the NSG. The two ministers are also expected to discuss a proposed free trade agreement. Canberra has made it clear that the ball was in India's court to start negotiations. The two sides have agreed to accept the feasibility report on the proposed Free Trade Agreement which was submitted by a joint study group last year. Once the internal procedures are completed, the government will take a view of it. The bilateral trade has been steadily growing, touching 22,4 billion Australian dollars last year.The two sides are expected to discuss a number of bilateral and global issues, including closer collaboration on security issues in Asia and in multilateral bodies like G20. They are also likely to discuss the evolving East Asian architecture and India's bid to join the Asia Pacific Economic Community.

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