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C O N F I D E N T I A L BRASILIA 002607 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2016 
TAGS: PGOV BR
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH SENATOR CRISTOVAM BUARQUE 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Dennis W. Hearne for reasons 1.4 b a 
nd d. 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary.  Ambassador Sobel met with Senator 
Cristovam Buarque (Democratic Workers Party ) Pernambuco 
state) on November 30 at the Senate.  They discussed 
educational issues, Buarque's differences with President 
Lula, the composition of the second term government 
coalition, and the imminent ministries shake-up. Buarque 
could not predict the result of the shake-up, but said there 
is no chance the PSDB would enter the government coalition. 
End summary. 
¶2.  (U)  The Ambassador, accompanied by poloffs, paid a 
courtesy call on Senator Cristovam Buarque on November 30 at 
his office.  The wide-ranging discussion touched on the 
upcoming visit to Brazil of Jeffrey Sachs (Buarque was 
involved in Sachs,s last visit), the upcoming 50th 
Anniversary of Brazil,s Fulbright program, and a number of 
political issues. 
¶3.  (C)  Buarque, who was a leading member of president 
Lula's Workers Party (PT) and was Education Minister in 
Lula's first term before breaking with him with him, told the 
Ambassador that he and Lula "went separate ways" because Lula 
did not share Buarque's view that the way to abolish poverty 
was through basic education.  He said Lula is not interested 
in basic education because Lula is oriented toward labor 
unions, and "illiterates have no union."  He said he is 
occasionally in touch with the president by telephone, but 
the relationship has not been repaired. 
¶4.  (C)  Buarque said his party, the Democratic Workers 
Party, will almost certainly join the government coalition, 
although he opposes such a move.  Buarque said he believes 
that a large coalition concentrates too much power in the 
government, and he fears too much government control.  He 
offered Hugo Chavez's Venezuela as an example to be avoided. 
¶5.  (C)  Buarque said there is no chance the PSDB (Brazilian 
Social Democratic Party) would join the coalition, citing 
internal disputes within the party on which he did not 
elaborate.  (Note: The PSDB allied with other parties to 
challenge Lula in this year,s national elections.  While 
these opposition parties achieved a slight majority in the 
Senate, the government coalition will retain its majority in 
the Chamber of Deputies.) 
¶6.  (C) On the cabinet shake-up, he could not predict the 
outcome.  Buarque, who said he hopes to become chairman of 
the Senate Education committee, said he also could not 
predict whether Education Minister Haddad will stay on.  He 
said the coalition had to take more shape before it would be 
apparent how the shake-up would come out, but he did say Lula 
will have fewer "friends" around him, suggesting greater 
attention to technical competence and maintaining his 
multi-party coalition. 
 
SOBEL