Post by RPankn on Apr 14, 2004 1:09:29 GMT -5
By Axel Bugge
BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Mexico offered support on Tuesday for Brazil, which is resisting U.S. pressure to sign a protocol allowing surprise, intrusive inspections of nuclear facilities.
In an unusual show of support from a country which often sides with the United States on security issues, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez said that Brazil clearly renounced any non-peaceful nuclear ambitions.
Brazil has signed the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which declared Latin America free of nuclear weapons, he said.
"Brazil is a signatory, it has ratified it, and as such it seems to us that both the government and the country has given its word and no further action is necessary in respect to this issue," Derbez said during a trip to Brasilia.
Brazil is preparing to start enriching uranium for nuclear power this year, making it one of a small group of countries to master such technology. The move drew attention after reports that Brazil had denied inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency access to the plant.
Washington wants Brazil to sign the protocol to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which would allow for more intrusive inspections of the plant. Brazil has said it does not want to put its proprietary research at risk.
More here: story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040413/wl_nm/arms_brazil_mexico_dc_1
BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Mexico offered support on Tuesday for Brazil, which is resisting U.S. pressure to sign a protocol allowing surprise, intrusive inspections of nuclear facilities.
In an unusual show of support from a country which often sides with the United States on security issues, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez said that Brazil clearly renounced any non-peaceful nuclear ambitions.
Brazil has signed the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which declared Latin America free of nuclear weapons, he said.
"Brazil is a signatory, it has ratified it, and as such it seems to us that both the government and the country has given its word and no further action is necessary in respect to this issue," Derbez said during a trip to Brasilia.
Brazil is preparing to start enriching uranium for nuclear power this year, making it one of a small group of countries to master such technology. The move drew attention after reports that Brazil had denied inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency access to the plant.
Washington wants Brazil to sign the protocol to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which would allow for more intrusive inspections of the plant. Brazil has said it does not want to put its proprietary research at risk.
More here: story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040413/wl_nm/arms_brazil_mexico_dc_1
