India, Australia to sign nuke deal for uranium sale

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott met prime minister Narendra Modi at the beginning of his two-day state visit during which they are expected to sign the deal to allow the export of uranium to New Delhi for use in power generation.

India is set to sign a civil nuclear deal with Australia for the export of uranium to New Delhi on Friday evening, agencies report.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott met prime minister Narendra Modi at the beginning of his two-day state visit during which they are expected to sign the deal to allow the export of uranium to New Delhi for use in power generation.

Australia, which has almost a third of the world's known uranium reserves, imposes strict conditions on uranium exports and India's failure to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty had long been a barrier to a deal.

Both countries have been negotiating a so-called nuclear safeguards agreement with verification mechanisms since 2012 when a former Australian government agreed on civil nuclear energy cooperation with India that would eventually allow the export of Australian uranium.