VZCZCXRO0073
OO RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #1670/01 2261920
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 141920Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6339
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BRASILIA 001670 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNSC BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL NONCOMMITTAL ON PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRATIC 
GOVERNANCE 
 
 ¶1.  (SBU)  Summary.  GOB officials responded in a 
noncommittal fashion to visiting S/P Director Krasner's 
presentation on the Partnership for Democratic Governance 
(PDG).  During an August 4 meeting at the Foreign Ministry, 
GOB officials expressed concerns about the PDG's 
relationship, if any, to UN programs, and said Brazil prefers 
to work within established international organizations rather 
than new ones.  FM Undersecretary Patriota also raised UNSC 
reform, arguing strongly for Security Council enlargement. 
In the discussion of regional topics, Patriota expressed deep 
concern about Lebanon and support for a UN-authorized force 
in Lebanon; noted that Brazil has named an ambassador to 
Baghdad; and said the GoB believes the time has come for a 
UN-authorized force to replace Australia in East Timor. 
Brazil wants to retain command of MINUSTAH forces in Haiti. 
U/S Patriota accepted S/P Krasner's invitation for broader 
policy planning talks, and continued discussions on the PDG, 
in Washington.  Krasner also briefed the PDG to Presidential 
Foreign Affairs Advisor Marco Aurelio Garcia during a 
separate meeting.  Garcia reviewed the history of popular 
participation in Brazil's budget process as an example of GOB 
experience with public/private partnerships.  End summary. 
 
------------------------------------- 
PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Dr. Stephen Krasner, Director of Policy Planning, 
provided a briefing on the Partnership for Democratic 
Governance (PDG) initiative in a meeting at the Brazilian 
Foreign Ministry on August 4.  A discussion of UN reform and 
regional issues followed.  In his opening remarks, Antonio 
Patriota, Undersecretary for Political Affairs, noted the 
good relationship between Presidents Lula and Bush, which he 
said illustrates the maturity, competency, and trust of the 
bilateral relationship.  (Full participant list is in para. 
21) 
 
¶3. (SBU) Krasner told Patriota that the USG is discussing the 
PDG with a number of countries, with the goal of establishing 
a group of some 20-25 supporting countries, based largely on 
government capacity, Freedom House indicators, and geographic 
diversity.  He suggested that we might be able to have 
preliminary meetings this fall leading to an agreement on the 
form of the PDG by the end of the year.  Krasner said the PDG 
is aimed to provide support where democratic elections have 
been held but institutions are weak and newly elected 
governments confront difficulties governing and building 
institutions.  Krasner said we do not see the PDG as a 
replacement for anything else we are doing, or for the work 
of the Peace Building Commission (PBC).  He emphasized that 
the PDG initiative will require the involvement and approval 
of leaders from inside the beneficiary governments, not 
outside. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
SEEING HOW THE PDG FITS INTO A MULTILATERAL PARADIGM 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Patriota said his reaction was a very preliminary 
one.  He indicated that Brazil needs more time to prepare its 
response, but that he had mentioned the PDG to Foreign 
Minister Celso Amorim and Vice FM Samuel Guimaraes.  Patriota 
said Krasner's description of the initiative was reassuring 
because Brazil had some initial concerns.  Brazil views 
democracy as a means to end: development, harmony, and 
opportunity.  A one-size fits all approach is wrong since 
there are more and less mature democracies.  Patriota said 
Brazil prefers to work with multilateral institutions, and 
Brazil invests its energies in improving and strengthening 
 
BRASILIA 00001670  002 OF 005 
 
 
those that already exist. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Patriota said above all Brazil's priorities are 
the UN and the WTO.  He said multilateral organizations 
should not be confused with groups of like-minded countries, 
which nonetheless can be useful (he cited the India, Brazil, 
and South Africa group, known as IBSA).  He said he was 
pleased that Krasner mentioned the PBC since Brazil 
recognized in the 1990s the lacuna in the UN system that the 
PBC has filled.  He also noted that the UN system had not 
always been able to deal with situations such as Rwanda and 
Haiti because as soon as the security crisis had passed, 
there was no mechanism to deal with the aftermath. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Donor conferences, Patiota noted, suffer from too 
much north-south dynamic, and conditionalities imposed by 
donors could scuttle the work if the recipient lapsed.  For 
this reason, Brazil is committed to making the PBC work. 
Patriota said Brazil is also hesitant to embrace the PDG 
because it could weaken the UN restructuring effort.  He 
suggested that the PDG might be integrated in to the work of 
the PBC and Community of Democracies.  Finally, Patriota said 
the upcoming Brazilian elections place a natural brake on 
Brazil's ability to take on new initiatives, particularly 
since Brazil is very involved in the India-Brazil-South 
Africa initiative. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Krasner agreed that we cannot work without the 
multilateral system, adding that he believes the PDG would 
bring diversity and legitimacy that would help transcend 
north-south divisions.  The PDG could be a part of UN work. 
The USG does not see it necessarily as something distinct, 
but does not view it as an initiative that would become 
universal because its success could hinge on its sponsorship 
by high capacity, geographically diverse democracies that are 
truly committed to its overall objectives.  This would 
necessarily limit the partnership. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Patriota said he was reassured by this because 
Brazil had concerns about how the PDG would fit in the UN 
system. 
 
¶9.  (SBU)  At a separate meeting with Presidential Foreign 
Affairs Advisor Marco Aurelio Garcia, Krasner reviewed the 
thinking behind the PDG, emphasizing the need to look at 
problems of democratic participation in a new light.  After a 
lengthy review of Brazil's experience reintroducing democracy 
following the 1964-1985 dictatorship, Garcia reviewed recent 
experiences in drawing the public into the government's 
budgetary process.  Krasner said citizen involvement in the 
budget process was a great idea. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) In follow-up conversations between Ambassador 
Sobel and U/S Patriota, and between the Embassy Political 
Counselor and Marcel Biato, the president's deputy foreign 
policy advisor, the Brazilians stressed that they were not 
rejecting the PDG and it was not an unwelcome initiative. 
Both said they were interested in further discussion of the 
PDG and wanted to follow up with Embassy officers. 
 
-------------------------- 
UN SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM 
-------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Patriota said UN reform would not be complete 
without UNSC reform.  He said there is now a majority in the 
General Assembly favoring an expansion of the UNSC to include 
both permanent and non-permanent members, developed 
countries, and developing countries.  Patriota said he had 
discussed this with Secretary Rice and U/S Burns, and he did 
 
BRASILIA 00001670  003 OF 005 
 
 
not interpret the U.S. position as placing any restrictions 
on Brazilian UNSC aspirations.  He also said the U.S. is the 
only country that supports adding only Japan.  He asked 
whether Krasner had any new ideas. 
 
¶12.  (SBU)  Krasner said the USG remains very committed to UN 
reform, but noted the difficulty of charting a way forward. 
Patriota said the issue would not go away, and there is a 
growing awareness of the democracy deficit in the UNSC.  He 
said the G-8's  decision to include developing countries in 
its meetings is proof of that, and it is a positive 
development that the G-8 has expanded its agenda to include 
political issues, non-proliferation and others.  He also said 
that Brazil must be engaged on UNSC reform; in view of its 
size, geographical location, and other reasons, it will be 
seen as running away from the issue if it does not engage. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Patriota added that a recent blue ribbon panel 
convened by Kofi Annan pointed to two possible reform models, 
one of which has broad support in among member states: 
expanding the UNSC in both categories, but without veto 
privileges.  Patriota also said China might accept a non-veto 
wielding Japan, but that China's behavior in the developing 
world has so far blocked reform.  He predicted that if 
current trends continue the UNGA will become ever closer to 
accepting the G-4 platform, and that Brazil might present a 
resolution to the UNGA before the end of the year on UNSC 
reform. 
 
-------------------- 
MIDDLE EAST: LEBANON 
-------------------- 
 
¶14.  (SBU) Krasner said the components of the current crisis 
are clear:  there must be a way to expand the authority of 
the government of Lebanon right up the borders with Israel 
and Syria.  Since Hizballah is not going to disarm, the big 
challenge is to get an agreement by making trade-offs such as 
rules of engagement vs. the capacity of Hizballah.  If 
Hizballah's capacity is not reduced, an agreement will be 
impossible.  The USG wants an end to the fighting as soon as 
possible, and a robust force must be put together to 
strengthen the legitimacy and sovereignty of the GOL, he said. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Patriota said that President Lula wrote to the P-5 
members plus the two Latin American Security Council members, 
Peru and Argentina, on August 3, expressing Brazil's concern 
and consternation over the situation in Lebanon.  Brazil's 
position is that there has been a disproportionate response, 
an excessive use of force.  Brazil, he stressed, condemns the 
use of terrorism by whoever uses it, and Brazil calls for an 
immediate cessation of hostilities. 
 
¶16.  (SBU) Brazil supports a force authorized by the UNSC, 
and Brazil would have to consider carefully whether it could 
participate.  Patriota said Brazil has taken note of our 
position that we cannot go back to the status quo ante.  He 
reiterated that Brazil's main concern is to strengthen the 
GOL and Lebanese sovereignty. 
 
----------------- 
MIDDLE EAST: IRAQ 
----------------- 
 
¶17.  (SBU) Krasner said we are guardedly hopeful, but we 
cannot say with high confidence that we will have the result 
we hoped for.  Patriota said Brazil has established an office 
in Amman to handle its affairs in Iraq, and has named a 
career ambassador to Baghdad.  He will go there when 
conditions permit.  Brazil remains disheartened over the 
 
BRASILIA 00001670  004 OF 005 
 
 
turbulence and loss of life. 
 
---------- 
EAST TIMOR 
---------- 
 
¶18.  (SBU) Brazil is waiting for Kofi Annan's report on E. 
Timor.  The crisis took Brazil by surprise, and Brazil, as a 
lusophone country, has a strong commitment to E. Timor, 
Patriota said.  Brazil views with concern the longstanding 
military presence of any country or group of countries 
without UN oversight.  Patriota acknowledged that Australia 
had gone to E. Timor invited by the Timorese, but said Brazil 
prefers a multinational force under UN supervision.  He 
agreed with Krasner that under the circumstances it was 
probably the only option to have Australians enter quickly, 
but said now it is time for something different. 
----- 
HAITI 
----- 
 
¶19.  (SBU) Patriota noted that the MINUSTAH agreement is 
about to lapse, and said Brazil is interested in retaining 
command because its leadership seems to have been a positive 
factor.  He asked for USG support to retain the Haitian 
command.  Krasner expressed our appreciation for Brazil's 
contribution in Haiti.  He pointed to Haiti as the kind of 
situation where the PDG could make a real contribution.  For 
example, he said we might consider bringing in international 
judges but we need a situation in which Haitians will see 
them as a technical detail, not an international infringement 
on sovereignty.  Patriota said Brazil does not oppose this, 
but bringing them under the auspices of an untested 
organization will not do that.  Krasner replied the PDG could 
stipulate that UN auspices would be the best way, and perhaps 
France might be the best participant, but the most important 
matter is that Preval make the decision, and that the 
decision must empower the GOH.  Patriota said Brazil would 
continue to think about it. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
PATRIOTA ACCEPTS OUR INVITATION TO WASHINGTON 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶20.  (SBU) Patriota accepted Krasner's invitation to continue 
discussions on the PDG in Washington.  No date was discussed 
for those talks. 
 
¶21.  (SBU) The meeting took place on August 4, 2006 at the 
Foreign Ministry. 
 
Brazilian participants: 
 
Antonio Patriota, Undersecretary for Political Affairs 
Glivania Maria Oliveira, United Nations Division chief 
Antonio Salgado, Chief of Staff to Mr. Patriota 
Ana Cabral, Human Rights Division chief 
Achilles Zaluar, United Nations Division 
Joao Tabajara, U.S. and Canada Division chief 
Igor Kipman, Central America and Caribbean Division chief 
Jorge Tavares, U.S. and Canada Division (notetaker) 
 
U.S. participants: 
 
Stephen Krasner, Director of Policy Planning (S/P) 
Ambassador Clifford Sobel 
William McIlhenny, Member, Secretary's Policy planning Staff 
(S/P) 
Greg Manuel, Member, Secretary's Policy Planning Staff (S/P) 
Mark Kennon, Embassy Brasilia 
 
BRASILIA 00001670  005 OF 005 
 
 
Dale Prince, Embassy Brasilia (notetaker) 
 
Sobel