Next Target: Brazil
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:56 pm
BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil's new Resende nuclear plant has the potential to produce enough enriched uranium for six nuclear bombs every year, U.S. researchers said on Friday -- a claim Brazil denied.
The commentary by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, published in Friday's issue of the journal Science, came three days after United Nations (news - web sites) experts visited the plant to resolve a dispute over nonproliferation inspections.
"At its announced capacity, Brazil's new facility located at Resende will have the potential to produce enough uranium to make five to six ... warheads per year," the article by Gary Milhollin, director of the Wisconsin Project, and research associate Liz Palmer, said.
Brazil and U.N. inspectors have disagreed over access levels needed for proper inspection in the almost year-old dispute.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants full access to Resende to ensure no uranium is diverted for weapons but Brazil will not allow complete access to the plant's centrifuges, saying it fears industrial espionage.
The United Nations and Washington have pressed Brazil to resolve the inspections impasse in order not to set an example for countries such as Iran and North Korea (news - web sites) which the United States suspects of defying the IAEA to develop bombs.
Brazil says it only wants to use its enriched uranium for energy and bans nuclear bomb research under its constitution.
With planned upgrades to the plant, that capacity would rise to between 26 and 31 warheads per year by 2010 and between 53 to 63 by 2014, the researchers said.
THEORETICAL POTENTIAL
"What I am doing is giving the theoretical potential of the plant," Milhollin told Reuters, adding that he sees no desire by Brazil to produce nuclear bombs. "They would have to reconfigure the centrifuges, but they could do it with what they got, with the existing equipment."
The Wisconsin project is a private, non-profit research organization in Washington, funded by private foundations and the U.S. government. It aims to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and operates under the auspices of the University of Wisconsin.
Asked about the article, Brazil's Science and Technology Ministry underlined its right to develop uranium enrichment technology for peaceful use.
Brazil hopes a deal on inspections can be reached within 30 days. The plant will only be free to enrich uranium after inspections begin there.
Uranium used for energy generation requires only low levels of concentration of about 3.5 percent. It needs to be enriched to 90 percent or more to give it weapons-grade capacity.
Edson Kuramoto, president of the Brazilian Association of Nuclear Energy, said the space needed for the capacity to make weapons-grade uranium would be much bigger than Resende has.
"The article was not based on any scientific calculations," he said.
The commentary expressed concern that Brazil will have "'breakout capability' -- the power to make nuclear weapons before the world can react. Such a power is what the United States and some European countries fear Iran is aiming at."
"If Brazil manages to deny full access to the U.N. watchdog, "Iran can demand the same treatment," it said.
-Thanks for info, Skyclad.
What do you think? Is Bush gonna kick our asses?
The commentary by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, published in Friday's issue of the journal Science, came three days after United Nations (news - web sites) experts visited the plant to resolve a dispute over nonproliferation inspections.
"At its announced capacity, Brazil's new facility located at Resende will have the potential to produce enough uranium to make five to six ... warheads per year," the article by Gary Milhollin, director of the Wisconsin Project, and research associate Liz Palmer, said.
Brazil and U.N. inspectors have disagreed over access levels needed for proper inspection in the almost year-old dispute.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants full access to Resende to ensure no uranium is diverted for weapons but Brazil will not allow complete access to the plant's centrifuges, saying it fears industrial espionage.
The United Nations and Washington have pressed Brazil to resolve the inspections impasse in order not to set an example for countries such as Iran and North Korea (news - web sites) which the United States suspects of defying the IAEA to develop bombs.
Brazil says it only wants to use its enriched uranium for energy and bans nuclear bomb research under its constitution.
With planned upgrades to the plant, that capacity would rise to between 26 and 31 warheads per year by 2010 and between 53 to 63 by 2014, the researchers said.
THEORETICAL POTENTIAL
"What I am doing is giving the theoretical potential of the plant," Milhollin told Reuters, adding that he sees no desire by Brazil to produce nuclear bombs. "They would have to reconfigure the centrifuges, but they could do it with what they got, with the existing equipment."
The Wisconsin project is a private, non-profit research organization in Washington, funded by private foundations and the U.S. government. It aims to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and operates under the auspices of the University of Wisconsin.
Asked about the article, Brazil's Science and Technology Ministry underlined its right to develop uranium enrichment technology for peaceful use.
Brazil hopes a deal on inspections can be reached within 30 days. The plant will only be free to enrich uranium after inspections begin there.
Uranium used for energy generation requires only low levels of concentration of about 3.5 percent. It needs to be enriched to 90 percent or more to give it weapons-grade capacity.
Edson Kuramoto, president of the Brazilian Association of Nuclear Energy, said the space needed for the capacity to make weapons-grade uranium would be much bigger than Resende has.
"The article was not based on any scientific calculations," he said.
The commentary expressed concern that Brazil will have "'breakout capability' -- the power to make nuclear weapons before the world can react. Such a power is what the United States and some European countries fear Iran is aiming at."
"If Brazil manages to deny full access to the U.N. watchdog, "Iran can demand the same treatment," it said.
-Thanks for info, Skyclad.
What do you think? Is Bush gonna kick our asses?
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