Beware Lula, Mr Bush

"We request that the State Department assess the threat
that Mr. Lula's policy poses to U.S. and hemispheric security. 
He once said 'If someone asks me to disarm and
keep a slingshot and he comes at me with a cannon, what good
does that do? All of us developing countries are left
holding a slingshot while they have atomic bombs.'"

Twelve House Republicans worried with the prospect of having Lula as the next Brazilian President sent President George Bush a letter. They are Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., chairman of the House Government Reform Committee; Rep. Benjamin Gilman, R-N.Y., former chairman of the House International Relations Committee; Cass Ballenger of North Carolina; Jim Gibbons of Nevada; Wally Herger of California; Darrell Issa of California; Walter Jones of North Carolina; Brian Kerns of Indiana; Dana Rohrabacher of California; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida; Ed Royce of California and Christopher Smith of New Jersey.

Washington, DC, October 2, 2002
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. President:

We are writing to express our concern regarding Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, presidential candidate of the Worker's Party in Brazil, and his recent public statement criticizing Brazil's adherence to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons—NPT. Given Mr. da Silva's lead in the opinion polls for the October presidential elections, his comments are a matter of grave concern to Congress, the United States Government, Brazil's neighbors, and the world. We request that the State Department review Mr. Lula da Silva's comments and assess the threat that his policy poses to U.S. and hemispheric security.

On September 13, 2002, Mr. da Silva said that compliance with the NPT "would make sense only if all countries that already have—nuclear—weapons also gave them up." He continued, "If someone asks me to disarm and keep a slingshot and he comes at me with a cannon, what good does that do?" He concluded his remarks by stating, "all of us developing countries are left holding a slingshot while they have atomic bombs."

Preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons has been one of the highest priorities for the United States, Latin America, and the entire United Nations. Agreement between Brazil and Argentina led both countries to end their many years of work on nuclear weapons, not only reducing the risks of potentially deadly conflict, but also freeing hundreds of millions of dollars for both countries to use for peaceful social purposes.

At a time when there is broad consensus on the need to defeat international terrorism, we are also concerned that in 1990, Mr. da Silva, in cooperation with the communist regime of Castro in Cuba, established a leftist, anti-globalization group called the "Forum of São Paulo." This ensemble, which has liaised with communist and radical political movements from around the world, held its most recent meeting in December, 2001, in Havana, Cuba.

The leadership of Mr. da Silva in this annual gathering of communist and radical organizations and alliances; his long-standing close relations with, and admiration for, the communist dictator and sponsor of terrorism, Fidel Castro; and recent statements regarding nuclear non-proliferation, raise grave questions concerning the international policies a government of Brazil might pursue under his Presidency.

We appreciate your attention to our concerns and look forward to the

State Department's findings with respect to this potentially serious national security matter.

Sincerely,

Dana Rohrabacher, MC

Benjamin Gilman, MC

Dan Burton, MC

Christopher Smith, MC

Darrel Issa, MC

Walter Jones, MC

Wally Herger, MC

Jim Gibbons, MC

Cass Ballenger, MC

Ileana Ross-Lehtinen

Ed Royce, MC

Brian Kerns, MC

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