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.

Latin America:

Non-Aligned Nations Resist EU3 Over Iran
03 February 2006

MEHRNEWS.COM (IRAN) - Cuba, South Africa and Malaysia, forming the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) board (Pictured: NAM Logo), delayed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors’ meeting regarding Iran’s nuclear issue for two hours. NAM strongly disagreed with the European Union Three (EU3), comprised of Britain, Germany and France. over a draft resolution to report Iran to the United Nations (UN) Security Council. The five permanent UN Security Council members, plus Germany, seek a consensus in favor of the European Union (EU)-drafted resolution. However, Cuba and Venezuela said they will oppose moves to refer Iran to the UN Security Council. Though the IAEA traditionally achieves decisions by consensus, a vote will decide Iran’s referral to the UN Security Council if any country withholds consent.

Source Reliabilty: 7.0

Comment: The five permanent UN Security Council Members are: United States, China, Russian Federation and United Kingdom.

Latin America:

Brazil Says Nuclear Program Is Peaceful
23 January 2006

AGENCIA BRASIL (BRAZIL) - According to Industrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB) director Carlos Freire Moreira, Brazil’s first uranium enrichment factory (Pictured) in Resende, Rio de Janeiro, operated by INB, is exclusively industrial and commercial. The facility will supply fuel to Brazil’s two nuclear power plants. Moreira says Brazil is a signatory to nuclear non-proliferation treaties and the the Brazil-Argentina Nuclear Energy Application Agency (ABACC) will oversee operations at the Resende facility. He also says Brazil has a good relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Aquilino Serra, a researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, says competition in the field of uranium enrichment technology will be the only international concern relating to Resende. The Resende factory will enrich urnanium by 5%, the limit for industrial/commercial purposes. Serra said, "In order to make a bomb, you have to enrich to 95%."

Source Reliability: 7.0

Comment: Brazil's two nuclear power plants are Angra I and Angra II.

Latin America:

Brazil Ready To Enrich Uranium
23 January 2006

AGENCIA BRASIL (BRAZIL) – Brazil’s first uranium enrichment facility, in Resende, Rio de Janeiro, begins operation at the end of January 2006. Operated by Industrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB), the factory will supply 60% of the enriched uranium needed by the country’s two nuclear power plants, Angra I and Angra II, between now and 2012 – supplying 100% of the country’s enriched uranium by 2015. The Brazilian Navy, supported by the National Institute of Nuclear Research (IPEN), developed the technology for the facilty, which cost $172 million to build. Operation at the Resende facility makes Brazil the ninth nation capable of enriching uranium on an industrial/commercial scale.

Source Reliability: 7.0

Latin America:

Argentina's New Nuclear Plant
15 January 2006

TELAM (ARGENTINA) - Eduardo Messi, president of Argentine-owned Nucleoelectrica Argentina Inc. (NASA), says the Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant (CNA II) (Pictured), under construction in the northern part of Buenos Aires Province, will be modern and safe. Messi’s statements contradict Uruguayan senator Jorge Saravia who recently said CNA II is a risk akin to a “new Chernobyl.” Messi said CNA II, designed and constructed by Siemens, is in accordance with the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN), is licensable under current National Regulatory Requirements and complies with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) international regulations. Additionally, NASA has agreed on a technical assistance program with the IAEA for CNA II. Messi also cited updated security systems, NASA’s ability to incorporate new technologies in instrumentation and control into CNA II’s operations and CNA II personnel’s permanent access to training to emphasize CNA II will be much safer than the Ukrainian plant at Chernobyl. NASA, in charge of operations at Argentina’s existing power plants Embalse and Atucha, maintains a permanent relationship with the IAEA, the World Association of Nuclear Power Plant Operators (WANO) and the Group of Owners of Candu Type (natural uranium and heavy water) Nuclear Power Plants.

Source Reliability: 7.0

Latin America:

Venezuelan Police Find Stolen Radioactive Cesium-137
09 January 2006

REUTERS (VENEZUELA)—Venezuelan police recovered stolen equipment containing radioactive Cesium-137 in the eastern Venezuelan state of Anzaotegui (Pictured). The Venezuelan Energy Ministry dispatched to collect the unit. No contamination was apparent, and officials made no arrests. Thieves stole the device, used in oil prospecting, in December 2005 in the same state. The Cesium-137’s disappearance followed the December 2005 arrests of three police officers connected to the theft of a truck carrying radioactive Iridium-192, also used in the oil industry. Two other Iridium-192 capsules disappeared in March 2005 in two separate incidents. Both were recovered – one in Lake Maracaibo, the other in western Venezuela.

Source Reliability: 7.0

Comment: The Iridium-192 capsule stolen aboard a truck on Tuesday December 19, 2005, was recovered in the Venezuelan city of Yaritagua in Yaracuy State. Radioactive Cesium-137 and Iridium-192 are viable options for use in a “dirty bomb” via exposure to a populace through a food chain or water table.