Brazil follows same nuclear path as Iran

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-brazil23.html

RESENDE, Brazil -- As Iran faces international pressure over developing the raw material for nuclear weapons, Brazil is quietly preparing to open its own uranium-enrichment center, capable of producing exactly the same fuel.

Brazil, like Iran, has signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and Brazil's Constitution bans the military use of nuclear energy.

Also like Iran, Brazil has cloaked key aspects of its nuclear technology in secrecy while insisting the program is for peaceful purposes, claims that nuclear weapons experts have debunked.

While Brazil is more cooperative than Iran on international inspections, some worry its new enrichment capability -- which eventually will create more fuel than is needed for its two nuclear plants -- suggests that South America's biggest nation may be rethinking its commitment to nonproliferation.

"Brazil is following a path very similar to Iran, but Iran is getting all the attention," said Marshall Eakin, a Brazil expert at Vanderbilt University. "In effect, Brazil is benefitting from Iran's problems."

Suspicions raised

[Zynx]

1. Yeah. Like Brazil will nuke anyone.

We are talking about a country that has not engaged in an aggressive war since about the mid 19th century.

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. And how many wars is it that Iran has started?

Zero. Zilch. Nada.

[atreides1]

8. Stranger things have happened

If it's wrong for Iran it's just as wrong for Brazil.

And the last war that Iran was engaged in, was with Iraq.

Tens of thousands of Iranian civilians and military personnel were killed when Iraq used chemical weapons in its warfare. Iraq was financially backed by Egypt, the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, the United States (beginning in 1983), France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the People's Republic of China (which also sold weapons to Iran), the Soviet Union, and the Warsaw Pact states. All of these countries provided intelligence, chemicals for biological weapons as well as other forms of military assistance to the Iraqis. Iran's principal allies during the war were Syria, Libya, and North Korea.

Iran has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and as such has the legal right to use and research nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. On numerous occasions, the Bush administration has threatened Iran with economic sanctions — and has not ruled out the use of military force — if Iran refuses to halt uranium enrichment. Britain supports this position, while other members of UN Security Council, in particular Russia and China, oppose any military action or sanctions. Significantly, Iran was recently elected vice-chair on the UN Disarmament Commission. Recently, Iran announced it is researching the construction of a P2 centrifuge, which is a more efficient technology to enrich uranium.

Research is allowed under NPT, and until they have evidence that the Iranians are building a weapon, then the rules that apply to all other signatories of the NPT should apply to them as well.

Now let's seek sanctions against non NPT signatories with a nuclear weapons capability, which would include North Korea, Pakistan, India, and Israel.

[deaniac21]

9. You are totally correct. Iran is a country with perhaps the most

rational leadership on the planet. It is only western lies that connect them to groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah and besides even if they had ties these groups are only freedom fighters.

[bigscott]

2. that's easy

Iran = Oil
Brazil = NO Oil

[Squeech]

4. Actually

Brazil struck oil offshore, back in the '90s. It's just about self-sufficient in energy.

Of course, every gas station in Brazil has three pumps: gasoline, diesel, and ethanol-- that last made from sugar cane. (As a side effect, Brazilian smog smells somewhat more pleasant than American smog.)

[melissinha]

6. thats not true techinically

Upon reviewing 2003 OIl Producer rankings, I found that Brazil was ranked number 15. That means 2% of total world oil production, which is considerable. Of course that is half of Venezuela and 1/4 of
number two, the United States.... Thats not nothing.

be careful the ranking includes world as #1 so really Saudi Arabia is #1

http://www.photius.com/rankings/oil_production_0.html


Oil - production(bbl/day) 2003
1 World 75,460,000
2 Saudi Arabia 8,711,000
3 United States 8,054,000
4 Russia 7,286,000
5 Iran 3,804,000
6 Mexico 3,590,000
7 Norway 3,408,000
8 China 3,300,000
9 Venezuela 3,080,000
10 Canada 2,738,000
11 United Arab Emirates 2,566,000
12 United Kingdom 2,541,000
13 Iraq 2,452,000
14 Nigeria 2,256,000
15 Kuwait 2,117,000
16 Brazil 1,561,000
17 Algeria 1,520,000
18 Indonesia 1,451,000
19 Libya 1,429,000
20 Oman 963,800
21 Qatar 864,200
22 Argentina 828,600
23 Egypt 816,900
24 Kazakhstan 798,200
25 Angola 742,400
26 India 732,400
27 Australia 731,000
28 Malaysia 729,200
29 Colombia 614,400
30 Syria 522,700
31 Yemen 438,500
32 Ecuador 421,200
33 Vietnam 356,700
34 Denmark 346,200
35 Azerbaijan 307,200
36 Gabon 301,300
37 Congo, Republic of the 275,000
38 Brunei 217,200
39 Sudan 209,100
40 South Africa 196,200
41 Equatorial Guinea 181,400
42 Thailand 173,800
43 Turkmenistan 162,500
44 Uzbekistan 142,700
45 Romania 127,500
46 Trinidad and Tobago 125,400
47 Peru 95,100
48 Ukraine 86,490
49 Germany 85,860
50 Italy 79,460
51 Cameroon 76,650
52 Tunisia 72,580
53 Papua New Guinea 67,500
54 Pakistan 62,870
55 Cuba 50,000
56 Turkey 48,000
57 Netherlands 46,200
58 Bolivia 44,340
59 Bahrain 43,000
60 New Zealand 42,160
61 Hungary 41,190
62 Belarus 37,000
63 France 34,920
64 Croatia 29,000
65 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 24,000
66 Guatemala 21,080
67 Austria 20,670
68 Japan 17,330
69 Poland 17,180
70 Serbia and Montenegro 15,000
71 Burma 14,170
72 Chile 13,640
73 Cote d'Ivoire 11,000
74 Suriname 10,000
75 Philippines 8,460
76 Czech Republic 7,419
77 Spain 7,099
78 Ghana 7,000
79 Greece 5,992
80 Albania 5,952
81 Estonia 5,100
82 Lithuania 4,594
83 Bangladesh 3,581
84 Georgia 2,000
85 Kyrgyzstan 2,000
86 Barbados 1,271
87 Taiwan 1,100
88 Slovakia 1,000
89 Benin 700
90 Bulgaria 603
91 Morocco 400
92 Tajikistan 250
93 Aruba 0
94 American Samoa 0
95 Armenia 0
96 Bermuda 0
97 Bahamas, The 0
98 Solomon Islands 0
99 Zimbabwe 0
100 Zambia 0
101 Swaziland 0
102 Samoa 0
103 Western Sahara 0
104 Namibia 0
105 Virgin Islands 0
106 British Virgin Islands 0
107 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0
108 Uruguay 0
109 Burkina Faso 0
110 Uganda 0
111 Tanzania 0
112 Sao Tome and Principe 0
113 Togo 0
114 Tonga 0
115 Switzerland 0
116 Sweden 0
117 Saint Lucia 0
118 Somalia 0
119 Singapore 0
120 Sierra Leone 0
121 Saint Helena 0
122 Senegal 0
123 Seychelles 0
124 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0
125 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0
126 Rwanda 0
127 Puerto Rico 0
128 Reunion 0
129 Guinea-Bissau 0
130 Latvia 0
131 Lebanon 0
132 Laos 0
133 Korea, South 0
134 Kiribati 0
135 Korea, North 0
136 Kenya 0
137 Jamaica 0
138 Haiti 0
139 Portugal 0
140 Panama 0
141 Paraguay 0
142 Nicaragua 0
143 Netherlands Antilles 0
144 Nauru 0
145 Nepal 0
146 Mozambique 0
147 Maldives 0
148 Malta 0
149 Mauritania 0
150 Mauritius 0
151 Mali 0
152 Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of 0
153 Malawi 0
154 Montserrat 0
155 Vanuatu 0
156 Niger 0
157 Niue 0
158 New Caledonia 0
159 Mongolia 0
160 Moldova 0
161 Macau 0
162 Martinique 0
163 Madagascar 0
164 Luxembourg 0
165 Lesotho 0
166 Liberia 0
167 Guyana 0
168 Guinea 0
169 Guam 0
170 Guadeloupe 0
171 Greenland 0
172 Grenada 0
173 Gibraltar 0
174 Gambia, The 0
175 Iceland 0
176 Honduras 0
177 Hong Kong 0
178 French Polynesia 0
179 Faroe Islands 0
180 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0
181 Fiji 0
182 Finland 0
183 French Guiana 0
184 Ethiopia 0
185 El Salvador 0
186 Eritrea 0
187 Ireland 0
188 Dominican Republic 0
189 Dominica 0
190 Djibouti 0
191 Cyprus 0
192 Cook Islands 0
193 Cape Verde 0
194 Central African Republic 0
195 Costa Rica 0
196 Comoros 0
197 Cayman Islands 0
198 Sri Lanka 0
199 Chad 0
200 Cambodia 0
201 Burundi 0
202 Bhutan 0
203 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0
204 Belize 0
205 Belgium 0
206 Botswana 0
207 Antigua and Barbuda 0
208 Afghanistan 0

[Junkdrawer]

3. But is Brazil the ideological leader of a region next to the 2nd largest..

oil fields in the world? (Or 1st if the Saudis are lying.)

Does Brazil threaten Israel's security?

Well, then, its a job for quiet, peaceful diplomacy.

[Selatius]

7. This is why people are pissed at the US: Double standards

Iran can get in trouble for trying to enrich uranium, but nobody says anything about Israel's nuclear stockpile. Iran gets in trouble for pursuing nuclear power, but hardly a peep is mentioned about Brazil's same course. This is the reason why the US is not seen as a true arbiter for peace in the Middle East because it's become pathetically obvious which side the US cares about, and that's nobody but the side of power and big business.