Australia wants to develop strategic ties with India

Australia has ruled out uranium sale to New Delhi but is keen to develop strategic partnership and ensure that India becomes a "front-ranking" nation with which it has such ties.

Australian deputy prime minister Julia Gillard said her country wants to build defence and security ties with India.

"We understand that energy security is important for India... (But) we have a longstanding position about uranium sales and nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT)," she said while explaining why Australia will not supply the nuclear fuel to India.

Australia has taken a position that it will not supply uranium to a country which has not signed NPT.

"We do have this longstanding in-principle position about sale of uranium to non-NPT countries... That is not policy that is focus in relation to India, that is general policy," said Gillard during her just-concluded visit here.

Australia has refused to give uranium even though it supported grant of waiver to India by the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) last year.

Gillard, however, said there is good prospect of cooperation between India and Australia on energy security.

"We are a nation that has big coal reserves and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)," Gillard elaborated.

The Australian deputy prime minister said her country wants to develop strategic ties with India and that her visit here was in that context.

Movement on this front could be expected when prime minister Kevin Rudd undertakes a visit here in the next few months.

Asked why the quadrilateral format of security cooperation among India, Australia, the US and Japan had fizzled out, she said "there was no enthusiasm from any of the nations to continue in that particular form" of partnership.

"We want to build direct relations with India, direct friendship with India, to build into a strategic partnership, for India to be in the front-rank of the nations with whom we have strategic partnership and a strong relationship. Our focus is on doing that," said Gillard.

There have been reports that Australia developed cold feet on the four-nation cooperation after China raised questions over it.

Identifying areas of cooperation, Gillard said security is one of the key elements which will cover the threat of terrorism also.

Besides free trade, cooperation on issues like climate change, particularly technology and research exchange and education are other sectors in which Australia wants to develop ties.

In the education sector, the two sides have agreed on setting up an annual dialogue.