Skip to main content
CNN.com International
The Web    CNN.com      Powered by
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ON TV
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
WORLD

Powell calls Brazil 'serious candidate' for U.N. Security Council

From Elise Labott
CNN

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
Brazil
United Nations
Colin Powell
United States

SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNN) -- Brazil is a serious contender for a possible spot on an expanded U.N. Security Council, due to its size and its non-nuclear status, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday.

When asked if he would support Brazil for a seat on the Security Council, Powell said he was waiting for the results of an independent report from the council.

He said he didn't want to single out a specific country, but he thought Brazil "would be a serious candidate in an expanded format."

"As we look at expansion, Brazil has to be looked at" due to its democracy, its size, and its peacekeeping role in Haiti, Powell told business leaders in a speech.

Along with Germany, Japan and India, Brazil is lobbying for a permanent seat on the council.

In January, Brazil took a two-year seat on the council. The United States says it will wait for recommendations of a U.N. panel on Security Council reform before taking a position, but has seemed lukewarm to the idea of council expansions for any other country than Japan.

Later, Powell told reporters as he traveled to Brasilia to meet with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, that the United States knows "for sure" that Brazil isn't thinking about nuclear weapons.

"North Korea and Iran are the concerns we are worried about, not Brazil," said Powell, who arrived in the South American country Monday for a that trip he said displayed U.S. interest in its hemispheric neighbors.

The Bush administration considers Brazil, in particular, a key ally in helping to stabilize the Western Hemisphere, a region hampered by political and economic crisis.

Brazil is South America's largest country and economy. "Brazil is playing a more significant role not only in the hemispheric sense but on the international stage as well," Powell said.

Since sweeping into office in 2003, da Silva -- a former shoeshine boy-turned-trade activist, now commonly known as Lula -- has taken on a greater leadership role in the region. Brazil formed the Friends of Venezuela group of nations in an effort to diffuse tensions between embattled President Hugo Chavez and opposition groups.

Brazil also is playing a major role in Haiti, taking charge of a 4,000 member-strong UN peacekeeping force there in June, the first military intervention by the South American power in close to 40 years. Argentina, Chile and Uruguay have also committed troops, which U.S. officials call a positive demonstration of South and Latin America managing their own affairs.

Beyond the hemisphere, da Silva has sought to portray Brazil, which has the fifth largest population in the world, as a powerhouse among developing nations deserving of a greater say on the world stage.

Da Silva also has been outspoken about the need to address poverty and hunger as the root causes of terrorism and war. He proposed poverty and hunger eradication initiatives at a speech during last month's U.N. General Assembly.

Relations between the United States and Brazil hit a low point in January, when Brazil objected to the fingerprinting of its nationals entering the United States. When the Bush administration refused to grant Brazilian travelers special status, Brazil began fingerprinting all U.S. travelers entering the county.

U.S. officials say the tensions have subsided, and Powell pointed to a close personal relationship between da Silva and President Bush.

Powell will travel from Brazil to Grenada on Wednesday. The secretary's visit to the island nation will only last a few hours, as the damage to the infrastructure and transportation systems precludes a longer visit, he said.

"We can't stay for long because they are still struggling in the aftermath of the hurricane, and the facilities are rather austere," he said. "We didn't want to overload the circuits."

Hurricane Ivan killed 37 people and damaged about 90 percent of the buildings on Grenada, leaving nearly half the population of 100,000 without shelter, according to an assessment by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.


Story Tools
Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! cover
Top Stories
Iran poll to go to run-off
Top Stories
EU 'crisis' after summit failure

CNN US
On CNN TV E-mail Services CNN Mobile CNN AvantGo CNNtext Ad info Preferences
SEARCH
   The Web    CNN.com     
Powered by
© 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us.
external link
All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.
 Premium content icon Denotes premium content.