1.   Desperate to earn foreign exchange as their economies disintegrated, the former Soviet republics stepped up uranium exports to the west.

2.   The new conservative government said it will approve new uranium mines and uranium exports subject to strict environmental, heritage and nuclear safeguards.

3.   Parer stressed that Australia insists that its uranium exports are used for power generation and not for weapons.

4.   Parer said that Australia insists that its uranium exports be used for power generation and not for weapons.

5.   But the deal was almost sure to upset Beijing, which has frowned at similar uranium exports to Taiwan by other countries.

6.   He also said uranium exports to Sweden were discussed, but gave no details.

7.   Russia is interested in expanding its share of uranium exports on the world markets, and officials in Moscow have complained about being squeezed out.

8.   Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson met Wednesday with his Russian counterpart Viktor Chernomyrdin, discussing issues that ranged from the Baltics to uranium exports.

9.   The Chinese Embassy in Canberra expressed concern about the possibility of uranium exports to Taiwan.

10.   The Chinese Embassy in Canberra expressed its concern at the possibility of uranium exports to Taiwan.