The United States is likely to seek a 'promise' from Australia that it will not vote against a Nuclear Suppliers' Group waiver for India to allow nuclear commerce with it, a key requirement for the implementation of the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.
The 'thorny issue' of 'Australia's attitude to the civil nuclear agreement' is expected to come up during a meeting between US President George W Bush and Australia's new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Washington this week, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Monday as External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived in the US to hold talks on the deal.
The Rudd government has already made it clear that it will reverse a decision by the previous John Howard administration to sell uranium to India as New Delhi is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation
Treaty.
'But the Bush administration is expected to seek a promise from Australia that it will not vote against the Indian agreement in the Nuclear Suppliers' Group, in which it is one of 45 member States,' the
Herald said.
With the deal bogged down in India's domestic politics, Rudd, who will undertake his maiden visit to the US after taking over as prime minister, 'may stop short of giving a firm undertaking now', it said.
The violence in China and Tibet is also likely to be high on the agenda in the talks, with Bush likely to seek Rudd's opinion on how to pressure Beijing to open a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, the report said.
As Rudd had decided to withdraw Australian troops from Iraq, the discussions are also expected to focus on the improving security situation in Iraq and on what Australia can contribute to the reconstruction efforts in that country.