Chavez Defends Right of Nations to Have Nuclear Energy

Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit

excerpted from
Venezuela News Roundup - September 29 2004
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Venezuela_News/

President Chavez stated that no country holds the right to meddle in another country's desire to develop nuclear energy. He expressed this as Brazil is dealing with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the country's development of nuclear plants. President Chavez also asserted that Venezuela will not develop nuclear energy.
[...]
Iran is interested in upcoming PDVSA licensing rounds for petroleum and natural gas exploration and production blocks. Over the past five years, the Venezuelan government had been encouraging other OPEC nations to engage in joint development projects in the oil sector.

AP via Dow Jones Newswires - Sep 28, 2004
http://online.wsj.com/search#BT_CO_20040928_009168

Venezuela Pres Defends Right of Nations to Nuclear Energy

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)--The United States and other world powers have no right to prohibit other nations from developing nuclear energy, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday.
Chavez, a persistent critic of U.S. global influence, defended the rights of developing nations such as neighboring Brazil to build nuclear power plants.

"Now the countries that developed nuclear energy without any type of ethics or limits, which dropped bombs on cities (like) Hiroshima and Nagasaki ... want to impose an agreement on all the countries that enter nuclear investigation," Chavez said during a nationally televised address.

Brazil's government, which has refused to give inspectors full access to its uranium enrichment facilities, said last week it was nearing a deal under which it would offer partial access to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Brazil claims that its centrifuges employ advanced technology that could be stolen by other countries if the inspectors are allowed to view it. It stresses that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

"We are not going to make atomic bombs," said Chavez, referring to non-aggressive nuclear energy programs of developing nations.

Venezuela , the world's No. 5 oil exporter, does not have any plans to develop nuclear energy.

Brazil expects its uranium enrichment plant to be ready in October. The government wants to use the enriched uranium to fuel two nuclear power plants, which produce 4.3% of the nation's electricity.Brazil has the world's sixth-largest uranium reserves but currently must ship the ore out of the country to be processed for use in its nuclear power plants.

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