Australian Prime Minister John Howard indicated on Monday that he would discuss India's need for uranium during talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has made a strong pitch for it.
"I think we would like to talk about uranium export to India," Howard told reporters, with Dr Singh standing by his side after he was accorded a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Both leaders were asked whether the issue would come up during their discussions.
"We will talk about (it) against the background of policies and needs of the two countries," said Howard, who had earlier ruled out lifting the ban on Australian uranium export to India.
Dr Singh said India would like to trade with Australia in all areas, stating that 'we are short of uranium and we would like Australia to sell uranium to India'.
Earlier, Dr Singh in an interview to The Australian, said he would ask Howard to back the Indo-US nuclear deal and lift the ban on sale of uranium to New Delhi.
Complete coverage: The Indo-US nuclear tango