DOUNREAY nuclear plant, which has previously leased highly-enriched uranium to the Indian authorities, is contributing to the global proliferation of nuclear materials, the Scottish National Party warned last night, writes Craig Watson.
A Dounreay spokesman admitted yesterday that the uranium from 40 fuel rods was leased to the Indians for a reactor in 1963. However, the material was returned to Scotland in 1991 and reprocessed two years later.
A further 43 elements from India were reprocessed in 1966. The uranium recovered was stored in the UK. The nuclear industry has ruled out any direct link between Dounreay and the five nuclear tests which have been carried out in India since Monday to widespread condemnation.
The trade in nuclear materials between the countries has since ended, because of India's refusal to sign a non-proliferation treaty.
A Commons debate yesterday heard MPs express fears about the proliferation of nuclear materials.
Scottish National Party parliamentary environment spokeswoman Roseanna Cunningham said: ''Reprocessing increases stockpiles of plutonium and highly enriched uranium and spreads these stockpiles around the world where they are increasingly vulnerable to theft, misuse, and abuse.'' She added: ''In the past, Dounreay has in fact exported highly-enriched uranium to India - I suppose that is one of the UK's contributions to non-proliferations.''
Later, she said the UK Atomic Energy Authority had never given an assurance that it would down-blend highly-enriched uranium in order to make it non-weapons usable.
She said Dounreay should be ''retired before there is any more opportunity for error'' and other UK plants must be prevented from adding to the proliferation problem.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tony Blair last night accused India of posing a threat to the safety of the world after the series of nuclear tests.
India flew in the face of world opinion yesterday by carrying out two blasts in the desert 330 miles south-west of the capital near the border with Pakistan - the site of similar tests on Monday.
Mr Blair told the Commons: ''It is deeply disturbing that these nuclear tests have been carried out.'' But he stopped short of copying the US, Japan, Sweden and other nations in imposing sanctions on India.
The tests also prompted the Foreign Office to summon the Indian ambassador for talks and provoked thinly-veiled threats from Ministers in Pakistan.
Outrage at India Page 16
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