Russia is about to become part of Australia's growing pro-nuclear alliance with John Howard expected to announce on Friday that his country will allow uranium exports to the former cold-war enemy.
Australia's Prime Minister is also pushing hard for a final declaration out of Apec that would support nuclear energy as a solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But he will be buying a fight with his transtasman neighbours if he does.
New Zealand wants to get the Apec communique on climate change watered down to take the emphasis away from the nuclear power solution being advocated by the US and Australia.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters says nuclear power is still not an option for NZ. He says it is a 21 nation grouping and countries have different points of view.
The final communique will be decided by the leaders who begin meeting over the weekend but behind the handshakes and before the summit even starts Australia is furiously signing deals, including one granting it access to US research on the next "generation four" nuclear power plants.
"Australia intends to participate in the global nuclear energy partnership and there will be great benefits in terms of access to nuclear technology and non-proliferation. The United States will support Australian membership in the generation four international forum which involves research and development to develop safer and better nuclear reactors," Howard says.
The Australian Prime Minister is also leading the charge for Apec to take a pro-nuclear stance. ONE News has been told the final declaration covering climate change as it stands now says nothing about nuclear energy options but Australia is fighting to change that.
"New Zealand's position is well known...the way the paper is fine now as it is but if it changes that will be for the prime minister to deal with," Peters says.
Howard is more interested in staying onside with the United States which supports the pro-nuclear stand.
"It is two countries that have been avoiding their Kyoto responsibilities by refusing to ratify the treaty and instead trying to take us down the nuclear route. The so-called generation four reactors are at least two decades away, far too long to even be considered as part of the climate change mix," Greenpeace Australia chief executive Steve Shallhorn says.
Others are alarmed that Australia is also about to start selling uranium to Russia. It's believed the uranium would end up at Angarsk - an enrichment plant deep in Siberia's pine forests where one anti-nuclear activist has already been killed by thugs wielding metal bars.
A journalist spent two and a half years in a Siberian jail for his reporting on the issue.
"I honestly think it's not a good idea to blindly trust them about something so serious," says journalist Grigory Pasko.
But the deal is expected to be agreed on Friday Howard meets Russia's president Vladimir Putin.
