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Brazil's Minister of Science and Technology, Eduardo Campos, said today that the Brazilian government is interested in helping the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspect Brazil's nuclear facilities.
"At the same time, we shall protect our technology, as all countries in the world do," he emphasized.
The Minister pointed out that Brazil's nuclear program is "pacific and strategic to the country's future."
According to Campos, 25% of the world's energy will be derived from nuclear sources 20 years from now, and Brazil can be one of the six countries that will possess this fuel.
On October 18, IAEA inspectors will initiate their visits to 41 Brazilian facilities, including the Nuclear Industries of Brazil, in Resende, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where the Brazilian uranium enrichment program functions, using centrifuges developed and manufactured by the Brazilian Navy.
According to the Minister, negotiations over the inspection process were resumed last month, after an interruption that began in June of last year.
During an IAEA conference in Austria on September 23, Campos conversed with the Director-General of the organ, Mohamed El Baradei, about how the inspection will be conducted.
"We have every interest in easing the task of the nuclear energy agency, of which we are a founding member. Our cooperation is immense. Just last year we received 90 technicians sent to us by the agency for training. This goes to show the enormous respect the agency has for Brazil," the Minister said.
Agência Brasil
Translator: David Silberstein
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