BRASILIA—Following a crisis that took Andean countries to the brink of war, Brazil wants to create a regional defense council to avoid conflicts and to reduce reliance on U.S. weapons, Defense Minister Nelson Jobim says.
Jobim said the South American council would discuss a joint defense plan, coordinate arms purchases and could even forge a common arms industry.
It could also help ease tensions like those that almost led to armed conflict in the Andean region this month.
"After this threatened conflict, an organization like this has become absolutely necessary as a preventive mechanism," Jobim said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday night.
Brazil is easily the largest arms supplier in South America and could gain ground against U.S. manufacturers if the region's governments came together on defense issues.
Jobim said the council would cut South America's dependence on foreign suppliers.
"If you depend on imports, the first problem you face is arms bans," Jobim said, citing Argentina's difficulty in using its missiles during the 1982 Falklands War.
He hopes to launch the council in the second half of the year and will meet Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in coming weeks on the first leg of a tour to convince regional leaders of the idea.
The Andean crisis erupted when Colombian troops bombed a rebel camp inside neighboring Ecuador. Venezuela and Ecuador responded by sending troops to their borders with Colombia, but a week of intense diplomacy defused tensions and war was avoided.
Still, the stand-off renewed concerns among Brazilian diplomats of a growing polarization between U.S. allies like Colombia and foes like Venezuela.
Complaints
Brazil will try to convince its neighbors that the United States is not a reliable arms supplier.
Its defense officials say that fighter jets that Chile purchased from the United States came without the missiles because of technology transfer restrictions.
In 2006, Brazil complained that Washington barred its planned sale of aircraft to Venezuela.
Avibras, a Brazilian arms manufacturer, intentionally avoids using U.S. parts to circumvent such export restrictions, a Jobim aide said.
Brazil hopes to target niche markets with products such as a mid-sized military transport plane made by Embraer.
Other export items include armored vehicles, guns, and ammunition. Jobim said Brazil could provide cheaper and better service to the region than other arms manufacturers.
"This industry can only survive through exports," the tall and bulky former Supreme Court chief justice said.
Brazil hopes to also use technology it will acquire through a strategic defense alliance with France that foresees the joint construction of 50 military transport helicopters and a nuclear submarine in Brazil.
"All this technology we will acquire, will be passed on to the private sector," Jobim said.
A broader arms refurbishment is being launched based on a shift of defense priorities away from its southern borders to the Amazon region, its long Atlantic coast, and its air space.
Ecuador and Bolivia will sign an accord in April or May to use Brazil's Amazon surveillance system Sivam, which can detect illegal drug flights, deforestation and floods, Jobim said.
He also dismissed speculation that he was a potential presidential candidate in 2010.
Jobim is seen by political analysts as a bright and assertive but occasionally divisive leader. He is a high-profile figure and one front-page picture showed him dressed in fatigues, holding a huge Anaconda in the Amazon.
He also helped overcome an aviation crisis that has seen two major airplane crashes since 2006.
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