Sydeny: Australia and Russia have signed a nuclear safeguards agreement to allow the export of Australian uranium to Russia for use in its civilian nuclear power programme. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Australian Prime Minister John Howard signed the deal after a meeting in Howard's Sydney office ahead of the weekend's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Howard said earlier this week that Russia would have to ensure there was no possibility Australian uranium could be resold to Iran or Syria for the deal to go through. Australia has about 40 percent of the world's reserves of uranium and exports the mineral to 36 nations.