WASHINGTON -- The United States warned Brazil it might lose U.S. anti-drug aid if it presses a program to shoot down flights believed to carry narcotics without attempting to prevent destruction of innocent aircraft, the State Department said Friday.
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"We have informed Brazilian authorities that, for liability reasons, the U.S. government would need to suspend relevant assistance to Brazil if it implemented such a program without satisfying U.S. legal requirements," the State Department said.
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Brazilian officials have said they intend to start, perhaps by July, a program that would allow the country's air force to shoot down suspicious planes over Brazilian airspace if pilots refused to identify themselves or their cargo. WASHINGTON The United States warned Brazil it might lose U.S. anti-drug aid if it presses a program to shoot down flights believed to carry narcotics without attempting to prevent destruction of innocent aircraft, the State Department said Friday.

"We have informed Brazilian authorities that, for liability reasons, the U.S. government would need to suspend relevant assistance to Brazil if it implemented such a program without satisfying U.S. legal requirements," the State Department said.

Brazilian officials have said they intend to start, perhaps by July, a program that would allow the country's air force to shoot down suspicious planes over Brazilian airspace if pilots refused to identify themselves or their cargo.

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