In a significant development, Australia on Tuesday promised to support the Indo-US civil nuclear deal in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and indicated its readiness to supply uranium to India.

This was conveyed by Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during a meeting in Manila when the recently-concluded Indo-US civil nuclear deal came up for discussion among other issues.

"Australia said it will cooperate in the NSG group with us," Mukherjee told Indian reporters after his meeting with Downer on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum.

The 45-nation NSG is required to modify by consensus its guidelines to allow the international community to have civil nuclear trade with India.

Australia, known to have the one of largest reserves of uranium, said it would extend cooperation by supplying the nuclear fuel as and when India finalises safeguards agreement with International Atomic Energy Agency.

Downer told Mukherjee that the Australian Cabinet will meet soon to take a decision on exporting uranium to India.

Downer separately told Australian journalists that the two leaders discussed the Indo-US civil nuclear deal and he congratulated New Delhi on the agreement.

"I said with this agreement now having been initiated, of course, it has ratification processes to go through, that we will begin to look at this whole question of exporting uranium to India," Downer was quoted as saying by the Australian media.

Earlier, Canberra had reservations on supplying uranium to India as the latter is not a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.