U.N. nuclear experts visited Brazil's new uranium enrichment plant on Tuesday to try to break an impasse over nonproliferation inspections, although how much they would be allowed to see remained at issue. The three inspectors entered the Resende facility, a gray concrete structure set amid lush tropical forest northwest of Rio de Janeiro, without saying a word to reporters. In Vienna, a spokeswoman for the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency played down remarks by Brazilian officials on Monday that the agency had become more flexible. "We will not compromise on our fundamental technical requirements that will allow us to ensure there is no diversion of nuclear materials out of that plant," spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said. The Resende plant can only start working after U.N. approval, but Brazil insists that it cannot allow inspectors to see the hulls of centrifuges where uranium is purified. Brazil says the locally developed technology used in Resende is 30 percent more efficient and 25 percent more cost-effective than at most U.S. enrichment plants and the country fears it could be stolen if outsiders see it. The United States believes Brazil wants only peaceful nuclear power programs. But it has pressed Brazil to resolve the inspections problem and avoid setting an example to other countries such as Iran and North Korea, which it believes have defied the IAEA to develop bombs. --More 2331 Local Time 2031 GMT
