Sao Paulo, Sep 26 (EFE) Brazil's Vice President Jose Alencar has said possession of nuclear weapons would enable his country to deter potential aggressors and give the South American nation greater 'respectability' on the world stage, a media report said Friday.

'Nuclear weapons as an instrument of deterrence are of great importance for a country that has 15,000 km of border,' O Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper quoted Alencar as saying Thursday while referring to the security of the country's offshore oil deposits.

Brazil's military regime (1964-1985) had a covert nuclear-weapons programme that was shut down after the restoration of democratic rule.

Besides deterrence, nuclear weapons 'give more respectability', Alencar said, citing the example of Pakistan, a poor nation that 'has a seat in various international entities, precisely for having an atomic bomb'.

He also called for allocating between three and five percent of gross domestic product (GDO) to upgrade its armed forces.