Australia positive on nuclear supplies to India

The Australian government is confident of resolving issues over the civil nuclear deal when officials meet next week, Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop, currently visiting India, said.

''Given that the United States and Canada have come to an understanding with India that satisfies their requirements, I don't see why Australia cannot,'' Bishop told journalists in Delhi.

She felt the framework for uranium trade between the two countries could be concluded in 2015.

India and Australia signed a civil nuclear memorandum in September 2014, but it has not yet been ratified by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties of the Australian Parliament, which is yet to submit its report on the deal.

In February this year, the committee held several hearings with nuclear experts opposed to the deal because of India's refusal to sign the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty).

However, Bishop said her government was confident of its numbers in the House of Representatives, and said her ruling Liberal party ''expected'' that the opposition Labour party would support the deal with India in the Senate, where it has the numbers.

Bishop will meet India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today.

On the contentious issue of ''tracking and flagging'' nuclear equipment to check where the material is used in India, Bishop said, ''I understand there is a way that Australian concerns and India's position can converge.''

Under Section 51(2) of the Australian safeguards law, it is mandatory for the government to account for all Australia-Obligated Nuclear Material (AONM), in terms of ''location, quantities and intended use,'' verified on an annual basis.

However, India insists it will only submit to checks by the IAEA, which tracks the material, but doesn't require a break-up of the material according to the country of origin.