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November 18, 1983

Letter, Argentinian President Bignone to Brazilian President Figueiredo

This document was made possible with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)

[18 de Novembro de 1983]

 

Senhor Presidente,

 

Tenho a honra de dirigir-me a Vossa Excelência com relação à conclusão de um desenvolvimento tecnológico de relevante importância, obtido por meu país sem nenhuma ajuda externa, cujo anúncio à opinião pública nacional e internacional se efetuará em Buenos Aires, durante uma conferência de imprensa a ser convocada pelo senhor presidente da Comissão Nacional de Energia Atômica, vice-almirante Carlos Castro Madero, de acordo com o texto do comunicado cuja cópia segue anexa.

 

Os termos explícitos do referido comunicado tornariam redundante discorrer na presente acerca das razões que levaram meu país a encarar tal projeto, assim como das características e propósitos do mesmo. Cabe simplesmente reiterar, uma vez mais, a plena e firme adesão da República Argentina à política de não-proliferação de armas nucleares, tanto em sua vertente horizontal quanto na vertical. Assim como sua completa identificação com o espírito e a letra do “Tratado para a Proscrição das Armas Nucleares na América Latina”, garantindo a exclusiva utilização com fins pacíficos da tecnologia desenvolvida.

 

Creio, sinceramente, que a conquista que alcançamos tem importantes projeções de ordem regional, pois constitui um significativo passo em direção à auto-suficiência da América Latina numa área de tal transcendência no campo dos usos pacíficos da energia nuclear que é a do enriquecimento do urânio, com a conseqüente implicação favorável no longo e difícil, porém tão desejado, processo de integração regional. Aproveito a oportunidade para enviar a Vossa Excelência os votos de minha mais alta consideração.”

 

Reynaldo Bignone

 

Mr. President,

 

I have the honor to address Your Excellency with regard to the conclusion of a highly important technological development [uranium enrichment by gaseous diffusion] achieved by my country without any external assistance, which shall be announced in Buenos Aires at a press conference to be convened by the President of the National Atomic Energy Commission, Admiral Castro Madero, according to the text of the attached communiqué.

 

The clear terms of the above mentioned communiqué make it redundant to expound the reasons that led my country to devote itself to this project, as well as its characteristics and purposes. It is fitting simply to reiterate, once again, the full and steadfast adherence of the Argentine Republic to the policy of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons both in its horizontal and in its vertical aspects, as well as its complete identification with the spirit and the letter of the “Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America”, which guarantees the exclusive utilization with peaceful purposes of the technology now developed

 

I sincerely believe that what we achieved has important regional projections, since it constitutes a significant step toward Latin American self-sufficiency in a highly transcendental area in the field of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy such as that of uranium enrichment, which has a favorable implication in the hard and difficult, but highly desired, process of regional integration. I avail myself of this opportunity to convey to Your Excellency the assurances of my highest consideration.

 

Reynaldo Bignone.

 

Letter from Figueiredo to Bignone

Argentinian President Bignone informs Figueiredo of the Argentine capacity to enrich uranium.

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Document Information

Source

Folha de São Paulo, page 4, November 19 1983. Obtained and translated by Fundação Getúlio Vargas.

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2013-04-15

Type

Letter

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Record ID

116864

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Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)