Gareth Evans to front nuclear inquiry

Former foreign minister Gareth Evans will appear before a parliamentary inquiry
charged with helping Australia determine its nuclear non-proliferation agenda over
the coming decades.
Mr Evans, the co-chair of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's International Commission on
Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND), will appear before the joint
standing committees on treaties on Thursday.
The inquiry was established to look at Australia's international engagement on
nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament issues.
The government set up the probe to help reinvigorate debate on the issue ahead of
the review in 2010 of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), aimed at limiting
the spread of nuclear weapons.
In a similar vein, Mr Rudd set up the ICNND last year to kick start the faltering
nuclear disarmament process.
And his efforts appear to have the support of the new Obama administration.
Mr Evans and other members of the commission met US Vice-President Joe Biden earlier
this month during the second meeting of the ICNND in Washington.
He told reporters he was encouraged by the reception from the vice-president and
others from the new US government.
"Everything we heard was extremely encouraging, and it's extremely important in
global terms, because in this, as in frankly so many other areas, US leadership is
absolutely critical," Mr Evans said.
"(It) has been somewhat missing over the last eight years."
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is keen for the inquiry to take a
broader look at issues and wants it to examine Australian agreements to sell uranium
to China and Russia.
Australia, the world's biggest repository of uranium, has a deal to sell yellowcake
to China.
And the government is considering a report which cautioned against an in-principle
deal struck by the Howard government to sell uranium to Russia.
The ACF is expected to tell the inquiry the nuclear agreements with China and Russia
compromise Mr Rudd's international commission.
"They weaken, rather than strengthen, Australia's policy and practice on nuclear
disarmament, safeguards and non-proliferation," said ACF nuclear free campaigner
David Noonan.