Latin America:

Brazil Poised To Join Nuclear Elite
10 February 2006

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS (BRAZIL) - Brazil, Latin America's largest country, is weeks away from becoming the ninth country to produce large amounts of enriched uranium, which can be used to generate nuclear energy or to make nuclear weapons. The Resende plant will initially produce 60 percent of the nuclear fuel used by Brazil's two nuclear reactors. With a third reactor in the planning stages, the Brazilian government hopes to eventually produce enough nuclear fuel for all of Brazil's reactors and have excess for export. Brazilian energy officials said the Resende plant will make Brazil's nuclear program self-sufficient and allow the country to stay in the nuclear race with other world leading nations. Brazil needs more than 120 tons of enriched uranium a year, but Lawrence Scheinman, a former U.S. arms control official, said that need doesn't warrant an industrial facility of Resende's magnitude since global supplies of enriched uranium are running high. With Iran's controversial uranium enrichment program stirring international concern, some United States (U.S.) observers fear Brazil's Resende program will spur more countries to make nuclear fuel, thus increasing the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation. However, Brazil is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, has all 20 of its nuclear material facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and has worked closely with the IAEA during Resende's planning and construction contrary to Iran, also a NPT member, which hid their uranium enrichment work for 18 years and is a known state sponsor of terrorism. Originally planned for January 20, 2006, the Resende plant's inauguration was postponed due to construction delays. Brazil has the world's sixth largest deposit of uranium.

Source Reliability: 7.0

Comment: Brazil's two nuclear reactors are Angra I and Angra II with Angra III planned.

Analysis: With the most advanced nuclear program in Latin America, Brazil's will likely emerge as the region's dominant nation in the next two years with the addition of uranium enrichment at Resende.

Analytic Confidence: 8.0

Latin America:

Castro Invites Iranian President To Cuba
08 February 2006

IRANMANIA (LONDON) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Pictured: Right) accepted an invitation to visit Cuba from Cuban President Fidel Castro (Pictured: Left) in appreciation of Cuba's public support for Iran's controversial nuclear program. On Saturday, February 4, 2006, Cuba, along with Venezuela and Syria, voted against the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution referring Iran to the United Nations (UN) Security Council. The vote ended in a 27-3 decision in favor of reporting Iran the the UN Security Council. During his visit to Cuba, Ahmadinejad will attend the September 11-16, 2006, Non-Aligned Summit in Havana, Cuba.

Source Reliability: 7.0

Comment: Cuba, Iran and political ally Venezuela are all part of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), an international organization of 114 countries not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. NAM nations represent nearly two-thirds of UN membership.

Latin America:

Venezuela Advocates Destruction of Nukes But Supports Iran
06 February 2006

EL UNIVERSAL.COM (VENEZUELA) – On Monday, February 6, 2006, Venezuelan Foreign Integration minister Gustavo Marquez said Venezuela advocates full nuclear disarmament worldwide, preventing the construction of new nuclear weapons and the destruction of existing ones, though the Venezuela openly opposed Iran's referral the the United Nations (UN) Security Council by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Marquez said Venezuela opposes nuclear weapon production in all countries. However, Venezuela, accompanied by Cuba and Syria, voted against the IAEA resolution referring Iran to the UN Security Council on Saturday, February 4, 2006, arguing Tehran is conducting a non-military nuclear program – similar to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s plans for a Venezuelan nuclear program. Following the IAEA vote, Nicholas Burns, the United States (U.S.) Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, branded the governments of Caracas, Havana, and Damasco as "a gang of three." Marquez claimed Washington and its allies are trying to monopolize world nuclear energy production. He also claimed an IAEA report on "the peaceful use of nuclear energy" in Iran was not disclosed. Marquez said the report allegedly shows Iran does not have a nuclear program with military purposes. Marquez added that the U.S. "has said nothing" about nuclear weapons owned by Israel – saying the U.S. could have supported Israeli nuclear weapons development.

Source Reliabilty: 7.0

Comment: The Venezuelan government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has a long-standing reputation for animostiy toward the U.S.

Analysis: It is unlikely an IAEA report on Iran's "peaceful use of nuclear energy" was suppressed by the IAEA. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday, February 9, 2006, the IAEA had not finished the report on Iran, but would complete it by the end of February 2006.

Analytic Confidence: 8.0

* Image Source: IAEA & IRAN.