BRAZIL'S NUCLEAR QUESTION
28 December 2003

Brazil has announced that it intends to be one of the nations producing enriched uranium, a nuclear fuel, and that it plans to export the product as an energy resource. The Brazilian government says it has no WMD aspirations and that the program is entirely peaceful, driven by economic opportunity. Brazil has the world's sixth largest uranium deposits, and says it would produce enriched uranium far short of "weapons grade".

Yet in Brasília, the capital, there is uncertainty about whether Brazil will allow "spot inspections" of its nuclear-fuel generation facilities. The government maintains that as a peaceful nation, Brazil should not be subject to the same aggressive scrutiny as problematic "rogue states". Brazil is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and already allows periodic inspection and verification of its existing nuclear facilities.

It is also part of a treaty to maintain a "nuclear-free zone" across Latin America, designed to ensure that nuclear weapons are neither built, stored nor deployed on any Latin American nation's soil. It has so far followed all international obligations under such treaties and appears to be following protocol to built a strictly civilian infrastructure. [For more: NYT]