THE effectiveness of atomic weapons inspections is being called into question again, after it emerged on 4 April that Brazilian officials prevented nuclear inspectors from viewing parts of a new uranium enrichment plant.
Earlier this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency was refused access to the centrifuge of a plant near Rio de Janeiro. This part of the plant is used to make low-grade uranium for reactors, but it could be quickly converted to produce high-grade enriched uranium, the kind used for nuclear weapons. The Brazilian authorities insist that restricting access was necessary to protect the country’s technological and commercial…
