Mexico Backs Brazil in Nuclear Inspections Dispute

[Judi Lynn]

Mexico Backs Brazil in Nuclear Inspections Dispute
Tue Apr 13, 7:07 PM ET


By Axel Bugge

BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Mexico offered support on Tuesday for Brazil, which is resisting U.S. pressure to sign a protocol allowing surprise, intrusive inspections of nuclear facilities.

In an unusual show of support from a country which often sides with the United States on security issues, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez said that Brazil clearly renounced any non-peaceful nuclear ambitions.

Brazil has signed the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which declared Latin America free of nuclear weapons, he said.

"Brazil is a signatory, it has ratified it, and as such it seems to us that both the government and the country has given its word and no further action is necessary in respect to this issue," Derbez said during a trip to Brasilia.
(snip/...)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040413/wl_nm/arms_brazil_mexico_dc_1

[DavidFL]

1. Has the U.S. even signed this treaty?

"Washington wants Brazil to sign the protocol to the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which would allow for more intrusive inspections of the plant. Brazil has said it does not want to put its proprietary research at risk."

Because I know Bush has set aside money for the devlopment of small tactical nukes.

I really hope the non-puppet countries of Central and South America start doing this with each other more often.