[Kabar-indonesia] Indonesia 'concerned' about uranium enrichment talk in Australia

[Joyo at aol.com]

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News 
Sunday, September 3, 2006

Indonesia 'concerned' about uranium enrichment talk in
Australia

A former Indonesian Government official says talk of
uranium enrichment in Australia is making Jakarta
nervous.

The Federal Government has commissioned an inquiry
into nuclear energy, uranium mining and processing,
which will report back later this year.

Doctor Dewi Anwar was an adviser to former Indonesian
president Habibi and has spoken to Radio National.

Dr Anwar says Australia needs to reassure its
neighbours that it has no desire to acquire nuclear
weapons.

"I think it's very important that Australia does
assure the international community that it will not
add another security threat to the already very
unstable global situation at the moment," she said.

"Indonesia and the (Association of South East Asian
Nations) ASEAN countries would probably be concerned
about Australia doing uranium enrichment until we get
more details of it."

Dr Anwar also says her country could consider the
possibility of uranium enrichment.

"Indonesia would also have the right to enrich uranium
as long it is for peaceful purposes and within the
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards,"
she said.

"Because Indonesia would not want to be totally
dependent on a few nuclear suppliers."

But the Foreign Affairs Minister has assured Indonesia
that Australian uranium will not be used to make
nuclear weapons.

But Mr Downer says there is no cause for concern.

"I would have that international security would have
been better served by enriched uranium coming from a
country as secure, as stable, as democratic and as
responsible as Australia," he said.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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