Brazil Begins Talks to Allow U.S. Satellite Launch From Alcantara Base

[Judi Lynn]

In 2002, negotiations stalled because Brazil claimed that unless technological knowhow was shared it would violate the country’s sovereignty.

By Lise Alves - June 5, 2018

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Fifteen years after initial talks, government representatives from Brazil and the United States are sitting down once again to talk about an agreement that would allow the U.S. to use Brazil’s Alcantara Launch Base for its satellites said Brazil’s Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday.

In 2002, negotiations stalled because one the one hand the U.S. wanted to defend its technological secrets, while Brazil claimed that unless knowhow was shared it would violate the country’s sovereignty. Now Brazilian officials say that the sharing of technological knowhow is not a deal-breaker.

“If you do not have an agreement that guarantees the intellectual property of the rockets and the satellites that will be launched, no satellite and no rocket could be launched, because the vast majority of launches carry American technology,” said Minister Nunes adding that it is ‘legitimate’ for the U.S. government to want to defend its trade secrets.

“What they (the Americans) want is the defense of their trade secrets, which is legitimate. We are discussing how to exercise this defense without any violation of our sovereignty,” concluded Nunes.

More:
http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/rio-politics/brazil-begins-talks-to-allow-u-s-satellite-launch-from-alcantara-base/