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Viewing cable 09BRASILIA364, U) 2009 SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS (C-AL9-00153)
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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
09BRASILIA364 | 2009-03-24 20:08 | 2010-12-16 21:09 | SECRET | Embassy Brasilia |
VZCZCXRO8646
RR RUEHAO RUEHCD RUEHGA RUEHGD RUEHHA RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHMT RUEHNG
RUEHNL RUEHQU RUEHRD RUEHRG RUEHRS RUEHTM RUEHVC
DE RUEHBR #0364/01 0832005
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 242005Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3881
INFO RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 000364
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/ AND WHA/BSC
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/11/2019
TAGS: BR PINR PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: (U) 2009 SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS (C-AL9-00153)
REF: A. SECSTATE 20677
¶B. BRASILIA 273
¶C. 08 BRASILIA 1636
Classified By: DCM Lisa Kubiske. Reason 1.5(d)
¶1. (C) Ref B reports on Summit of the Americas (SOA)
Coordinator Ambassador Hector Morales meetings with Brazilian
officials, notably the increased Brazilian focus on the SOA.
According to Brazilian Ministry for External Relations (MRE)
Undersecretary Vera Machado, Brazil views the SOA as
complementary to the Bahia Summit of Latin American and
Caribbean (LAC) heads of state and government (Ref C) and an
important means of communication for all Western Hemisphere
governments. Brazil, like most other Summit participants,
has high expectations for the Obama Presidency and looks to
the President for a positive signal as to the importance of
the Western Hemisphere in U.S. policy considerations.
Speaking at a Wall Street Journal-sponsored seminar in New
York March 17, President Lula said the Summit would be "an
ideal scenario (for the U.S.) to reestablish a policy of
democratic and peaceful coexistence with the region." For
the Summit, Brazil will focus on the economic crisis, food
security and energy, looking to avoid linkages between the
latter two of these issues. Although the GOB may agree to or
actively devote resources to major new initiatives under the
Summit process, it will seek to create a positive tone for
the SOA, mediate differences among the participants, and use
the SOA to launch a productive dialogue between the United
States and LAC. Answers to questions raised in ref a, are
contained in paragraph 2 below.
¶2. (S/NF)
A1) Brazilian Presidential Advisor Marcel Biato told
Ambassador Morales that Brazil hoped the U.S. would not enter
the SOA with a series of new initiatives to push on Latin
American governments and that the U.S. would do better to
listen to the concerns of its neighbors. In general, Brazil
downplays substantive results from presidential summits. The
December Bahia Summit, for example, was more notable as a
demonstration of Brazil's ability to convene its neighbors
than for any result (ref C). The Brazilian Government
considers it important to agree on a Summit Declaration but
may be less concerned about its specific content as long as
consensus is achieved. Human prosperity, social inclusion,
job creation, and addressing the global economic crisis have
emerged as the broad themes for which Brazil's priorities
more closely match those of the United States. Should the
United States choose to pursue a regional energy initiative,
Brazil will likely be much more supportive of a proposal
which offers each country the choice of opting in or out of
each element of the program. There is significant opposition
in Brazil to the idea of a "one size fits all" agreement on
energy, or in general.
2) It is highly unlikely that Brazil will use the SOA
criticize the U.S. publicly, although the view that U.S.
policies are to blame for other nations' economic
difficulties is a common one in Brazil. President Lula wants
a good relationship with President Obama and will seek to
avoid controversy and encourage Brazil's neighbors to do
likewise. There is potential for disagreement on Cuba as the
Brazilians have become increasingly officious in their advice
to us that a good relationship with the region depends on our
unilateral concessions to an aggrieved Cuba. President Lula
has promised Raul Castro that he will do what he can to
facilitate a better relationship with the U.S., and he will
need to be able to demonstrate credibly that he has acted on
this promise. Brazil will prefer that the Cuba discussion
avoid center stage and take place in private, but in this
context will join, and may even lead, the bandwagon of
governments trying to change U.S. Cuba policy.
3) As noted in ref c, Brazil was the force behind the Bahia
Summit and is looking for avenues to assert its leadership in
the region, and especially in South America. Brazil posited
the Bahia Summit as the "first ever" meeting only of Latin
American and Caribbean heads of state and government without
"external" powers. Indeed, the Bahia Summit appears to have
successfully shifted the dynamic of the SOA from that of a
"regional" meeting to an "inter-regional" U.S.-Latin America
meeting, along the lines of the Ibero-American Summit, the
EU-Latin America Summit, and the Arab States-South America
Summit. For Lula, the SOA will provide an opportunity to
carry the region's messages to President Obama and
demonstrate leadership. The Brazilian MRE and Presidency
have assured us that Brazil believes that the new regional
summit fora should be complementary to the OAS and SOA, and
Brazil is unlikely to act in such a way as to undercut the
SOA.
BRASILIA 00000364 002 OF 002
4) As noted above, Brazil is interested in a harmonious
Summit and would prefer to avoid controversy. It is likely
that President Lula will attempt to moderate Chavez without
coming out into blatant opposition to the Venezuelan
President. It is possible that, as a way of doing this, he
will take a tougher rhetorical stance on some issues than he
might in a bilateral setting.
5) We have no evidence that Brazil would favor any measure
that would jeopardize the Inter-American Human Rights System.
B1) While we do not expect Brazil to agree with the U.S. on
all issues, we believe the Brazil government will take a
constructive approach to the Summit and seek consensus on a
Summit Declaration. Even where it agrees to broad language
in the declaration in support of SOA themes, Brazil may
resist concrete initiatives on topics that it perceives as
potentially divisive in the region, such as democratic
governance, energy, trade, and public security. Brazil is
unlikely to press issues that it knows will put the United
States on the defensive, and is likely to try to mediate any
such disputes that arise. Brazilian Summit Coordinator
Duarte has told us that Brazil has "high expectations for the
Summit" and would like to maintain "positive momentum" in
U.S. relations with the region.
SOBEL