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RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SAO PAULO 000293 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR R, PA, WHA/BSC, AND WHA/PDA 
NSC FOR SCRONIN 
STATE PASS USTR FOR SULLIVAN/LEZNY 
DEPT OF TREASURY FOR FPARODI 
USDOC FOR 332/ITA/MAC/WH/OLAC/JANDERSEN/ADRISCOLL/MWARD 
USDOC ALSO FOR 3134/USFCS/OIO/EOLSON/DDEVITO/DANDERSON 
 
TAGS: OVIP SCUL OEXC KPAO PREL PGOV OIIP BR
SUBJECT: UNDER SECRETARY HUGHES'S VISIT TO SAO PAULO, BRAZIL 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. During her March 12-14 visit to Sao Paulo, Under Secretary for 
Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes delivered a message 
on shared values and common interests to a wide range of Brazilian 
audiences.  U/S Hughes met with a group of Brazilian Youth 
Ambassadors and attended a cultural performance by a youth dance 
group.  She participated in a breakfast meeting with women leaders 
and a lunch with key opinion-makers.  In addition, she gave a speech 
to a large group of students at Mackenzie University's School of 
Communications and took questions from the audience; gave an 
interview to the Executive Editor of the large-circulation weekly 
magazine "Veja;" visited the "Meninos de Morumbi" social project 
where she engaged in an informal discussion with young people; and 
participated in a Consulate Town Hall Meeting.  Her willingness to 
discuss U.S. foreign policy with a variety of interlocutors helped 
put a human face on the oft-criticized USG.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------------- 
"FEIJOADA" WITH YOUTH AMBASSADORS 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  On March 12, the afternoon of her arrival, U/S Hughes met at the 
Consul General's (CG) residence over lunch with a group of 10 Youth 
Ambassadors from Sao Paulo state.  During a collective meeting with 
the group to discuss the significance of their program in the U.S. 
and how they have shared their experiences with their school 
colleagues and communities, U/S Hughes and WHA Assistant Secretary 
Tom Shannon were made honorary Youth Ambassadors and presented with 
Youth Ambassador T-shirts in the presence of print and television 
media.  The meeting was followed by a traditional Brazilian 
"feijoada" lunch on the patio, during which U/S Hughes had the 
opportunity to talk with the Youth Ambassadors individually, 
exploring their plans for the future and how they saw their 
distinction as a Youth Ambassador as influencing their 
opportunities.  U/S Hughes expressed her conviction that these young 
leaders represented the future of Brazil, and that the country would 
be in good hands.  She also praised the program for selecting 
community-spirited students from disadvantaged circumstances, and 
indicated that she would be interested in identifying this program 
as a "best practice" and seeing it expand, ideally with private 
sector support. 
 
¶3.  Following the late lunch meeting, U/S Hughes and her delegation, 
together with the Youth Ambassadors, attended a dance performance, 
"Milagrimas," given by a group of at-risk youth under the direction 
of choreographer Ivaldo Bertazzo, well known in Brazil for his 
innovative work and ability to achieve professional-level ensemble 
performance with groups having no previous formal training.  At the 
conclusion of the performance, U/S Hughes and her group were invited 
backstage to meet Mr. Bertazzo and the performers, providing an 
opportunity for a group photo with the Youth Ambassadors and the 
dance troupe, whom U/S Hughes also described as ambassadors for 
Brazil. 
 
---------------------------- 
BREAKFAST WITH WOMEN LEADERS 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4.  During a congenial 75-minute breakfast on March 13, U/S Hughes 
met with Brazilian women leaders in the fields of justice, business, 
law, education, and the media.  Participants included Maria Cecilia 
Loschiavo, Associate Professor of Architecture and homeless 
advocate; Claudia Lago, member of the Committee on Women's Rights at 
the Brazilian Bar Association (Sao Paulo Chapter); Marilena 
Lazzarini, founder and current coordinator of the Brazilian 
Institute for Consumer Protection; Eleonora de Lucena, Executive 
 
SAO PAULO 00000293  002 OF 004 
 
 
Director of Brazil's largest-circulation daily, Folha de Sao Paulo; 
Ivette Senise, former director (1998-2002) of the University of Sao 
Paulo Law School; Maria Cristina Zucchi, Judge on the Court of 
Appeals of Sao Paulo; and Leticia Massula, an attorney engaged in 
the fight against trafficking in persons. 
 
¶5.  Topics of discussion included the current status of women in 
Brazilian society, particularly equal access to education and 
professional advancement.  Participants agreed that, while Brazilian 
girls do have access to education, their post-education employment 
opportunities are more limited than those of males.  Moreover, while 
professional, upper-class women enjoy salaries on a par with those 
of their male colleagues, lower-class women do not.  Of all 
categories of society, Afro-Brazilian women have the least access to 
education and professional advancement.   Participants stated that 
while equality exists in law, reality has not yet caught up.  The 
table was enthusiastic about the recent election of Michelle 
Bachelet as President of Chile and discussed the possibility of a 
woman being elected President of the United States.  U/S Hughes 
emphasized the commonality between North and South America, and the 
desire of all women for a safe and secure environment and 
opportunities for a better life for their children. 
 
¶6.  Participants took the opportunity to ask the Under Secretary 
questions about abortion law in the U.S., public opinion on same-sex 
marriages, and American women's views on the war in Iraq.  The 
breakfast concluded with enthusiastic requests on the part of the 
participants for continued dialog, the development of a women's 
working group, and a possible international women's conference. 
 
----------------------------------- 
SPEECH AND DISCUSSION WITH STUDENTS 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  After a brief meeting with the President of Mackenzie University 
at which she discussed possibilities for additional U.S.-Brazil 
educational exchanges, U/S Hughes delivered a thirty-minute speech 
on democracy and U.S.-Brazil cooperation.  Following the speech, 
Hughes and A/S Shannon responded to a variety of questions from the 
journalism and communications students.  The questions covered both 
U.S. foreign and domestic policy, and many focused on U.S. policy in 
Iraq and on the situation of poor people and minorities in the 
United States.  Students also asked about U.S. relations with Mexico 
and Uruguay.  Some examples of specific questions included, "Is 
Mexico autonomous from the United States?"; "What is the USG doing 
about the problem of racial inequality in the United States?"; and 
"How is Iran different from Iraq?" 
 
------------------------- 
LUNCH WITH OPINION MAKERS 
------------------------- 
 
¶8.  U/S Hughes lunched with five Brazilian academic, business, 
government, and media leaders at the CG's residence.  The guests 
were Roberto Civita, President of Editora Abril; former Foreign 
Minister Celso Lafer; Jose Goldemberg, Sao Paulo State Secretary for 
Environmental Affairs; Roberto Gianetti da Fonseca of SILEX 
Financial Consulting; and Helio Magalhaes, President of the Sao 
Paulo AMCHAM.  Three topics of discussion emerged: U.S. 
environmental policy, U.S.-Brazil free trade, and nuclear weapons 
proliferation. 
 
¶9.  Brazilian leaders expressed concern over the USG's seemingly 
inconsistent policy on environmental protection, citing the 
groundbreaking U.S. Clean Air Act on the one hand versus the USG's 
opposition to the Kyoto Protocol.  The guests hailed the 
environmentally-friendly progress Brazil has made in replacing 
fossil fuel energy with sugar cane-based ethanol.  This change has 
helped make Brazil a "net zero" importer of fuel.  U/S Hughes 
 
SAO PAULO 00000293  003 OF 004 
 
 
underscored President Bush's commitment to reducing America's 
dependency on fossil fuel energy. 
 
¶10.  Consistent with previous messages, the Brazilian guests 
stressed that American agricultural subsidies are the major obstacle 
to Brazil's supporting FTAA.  One participant asserted that the USG 
has never made a compelling argument as to how FTAA would benefit 
Brazilian citizens and companies.  Another said Brazil has put 
itself in a difficult position by not working actively with the U.S. 
on FTAA.  As a result, the U.S. has negotiated a series of bilateral 
free trade agreements that have effectively isolated Brazil and have 
threatened Brazil's access to other Latin American markets as well 
as to the United States. 
 
¶11.    Finally, U/S Hughes and her guests talked about nuclear 
proliferation issues.  She outlined the advantages of the new 
U.S.-India agreement.  She also voiced the USG's continued concern 
over Iran's nuclear ambitions. 
 
---------------- 
OTHER ACTIVITIES 
---------------- 
 
¶12.  U/S Hughes and her delegation met briefly with the staff of 
ConGen Sao Paulo, where she delivered brief remarks on 
transformational diplomacy and discussed the central role of public 
diplomacy in our work, and then took questions. 
 
¶13.  U/S Hughes ended her program with a visit late Monday to the 
NGO "Meninos do Morumbi" (Children of Morumbi, located in a 
relatively poor neighborhood of Sao Paulo). There she toured the NGO 
and learned about how the USG, the GoB, other governments, and the 
private sector have supported the organization's work with 
underprivileged children.  After a performance by the Meninos do 
Morumbi band and dancers, she chatted with Brazilian youth between 
the ages of 10 and 16 about their study and career aspirations, her 
trip to Chile, and the role of women in society. 
 
-------------- 
PRESS COVERAGE 
-------------- 
 
¶14.  Both TV Record and Rede TV news reports featured positive 
coverage from Under Secretary Hughes's two-day visit to Sao Paulo. 
TV Record's evening news carried images from the Under Secretary's 
lunch Sunday with young leaders from the U.S. Embassy's Youth 
Ambassadors program and her visit late Monday to the Meninos de 
Morumbi youth program. Rede TV also covered her visit to the NGO 
Meninos do Morumbi.  The liberal daily Folha de Sao Paulo devoted a 
four-column report with photo on U/S Hughes's lecture at Mackenzie 
College. Online publications such as O Estado de Sco Paulo's news 
agency "Agencia Estado" and the news service "Ultimo Segundo" also 
reported on Hughes's speech and discussion with students.  While the 
Folha report focused on the students' criticism of Hughes's remarks, 
the "Agencia Estado" and "Ultimo Segundo" reports noted the 
criticism but also quoted professors and students who welcomed the 
opportunity to have a frank discussion with a U.S. official. 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶15.  U/S Hughes's visit enabled us to afford our key Brazilian 
interlocutors, as well as a cross-section of students and youth, the 
opportunity for a face-to-face exchange with a high-level USG 
representative who was able to articulate the administration's 
policies and the rationale behind current and sometimes 
controversial U.S. foreign policy decisions.  U/S Hughes's 
willingness to engage with a wide range of audiences -- from 
 
SAO PAULO 00000293  004 OF 004 
 
 
students to former government ministers, explaining administration 
foreign policy at one moment, and talking with Youth Ambassadors and 
teenagers from Meninos do Morumbi -- about their impressions of the 
U.S. and their plans for the future, helped to put a human face on 
the USG, emphasizing the close ties and shared values between the 
U.S. and Brazil.  Overall, the visit measurably advanced our top 
public diplomacy goals.  End Comment. 
 
¶16. This cable was cleared/coordinated with Embassy Brasilia and 
with U/S Hughes's delegation. 
 
MCMULLEN