India, Australia take first steps towards N-deal

Visiting Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard today agreed to open negotiations on export of uranium to fuel India's nuclear power reactors.

Earlier, addressing members of business and industry associations, Gillard said the two countries will explore trade and investment ties as also increasing defence cooperation, education and cultural linkages and growing people-to-people interaction.

''Our strategic partnership is responding well to the significant transformations in our region and to the developmental aspirations of our two peoples,'' she said.

The announcement about starting nuclear talks comes after the Australian prime minister's meeting with her counterpart Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.

Australia, which was opposed to selling uranium to India, which is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-prolifiration Treaty (NPT), in fact reversed its policy under Julia Gillard.

The two prime ministers had substantive discussions on measures to give greater content to the relations between their countries.