THE federal government has secretly canvassed the possibility of uranium sales to India while publicly asserting that it cannot allow such exports as long as India maintains a nuclear arsenal outside the non-proliferation treaty.

Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson has told the United States embassy in Canberra that "a deal to supply India with nuclear fuel could be reached in 3-5 years''.

Photo: Glenn Campbell

Mr Ferguson also said former prime minister and current Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd had been "careful … to leave the door open" on the sale of uranium to India.

Yesterday Mr Ferguson said that at a meeting last month with Indian External Affairs Minister Shri S. M. Krishna, he had "reaffirmed that the position of the Australian government is that we are not in a position to sell uranium to India''.