The Brazilian government "vehemently" condemned today the nuclear test announced by North Korea. Brazil’s Foreign Relations Ministry (Itamaraty) in an official note exhorted the Kim Jong-il government to adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Brazil also urged North Korea to join as soon as possible the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
Talking during a ceremony in the Itamaraty Palace, Brazil’s Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim stated that the North Korean measure announced as a defense step against a possible US nuclear attack, does not contribute to the peace in the region and in the world.
"We are also favorable to the total elimination of the nuclear arsenal, but this cannot be used as an excuse for this kind of action," he said.
The Note in its entirety:
"The Brazilian government vehemently condemns the nuclear test that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea announced to have conducted. The decision opposes the presidential declaration on the subject issued by the United Nations Security Council on October 6.
"The Brazilian government admonishes DPRK to rejoin, without conditions and as a non-nuclearly armed country, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (TNP). It also urges North Korea to adhere as soon as possible to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and to strictly observe the moratorium on nuclear tests while the CTBT does not go into effect.
"It still exhorts the DPRK to return with constructive spirit to the hexapartite negotiations in order to find a solution to the nuclear question in the Korean peninsula and dealings that take into account, in a balanced manner, international security concerns as well as those of the countries in the region.
"While joining once again the international community’s efforts in favor of the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, Brazil also reiterates its vision that significant and urgent steps should be taken in order to eliminate all atomic arsenals."
