Senate debates

Tuesday, 14 August 2007

Russia

3:48 pm

Photo of Christine MilneChristine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—
(a)
notes:
(i)
growing concern about the deteriorating state of human rights, democracy, freedom of expression and the rights of civil society in the Russian Federation (Russia), particularly the use of force against peaceful demonstrators, the suppression of the democracy movement and the increasingly unfair Duma elections, as well as reports of the use of torture in prisons,
(ii)
the bashing and murder of sleeping activists protesting against the planned construction of an international uranium enrichment centre at the Angarsk uranium enrichment plant in Siberia,
(iii)
the 2005 Russian deal to sell uranium to Iran to fuel the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant, in spite of widespread fears about Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons program, and
(iv)
the Government’s negotiation of a proposed agreement to sell uranium to Russia, in spite of its close nuclear relationship with Iran; and
(b)
calls on the Government not to negotiate any agreement on the supply of uranium to Russia.

Question put.