VZCZCXRO9762
PP RUEHRG
DE RUEHSO #0966/01 3460923
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 120923Z DEC 07
FM AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7739
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 8872
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 2979
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 3219
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SAO PAULO 000966 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/FO, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, AND H 
STATE PASS USTR FOR KATE DUCKWORTH 
NSC FOR TOMASULO 
TREASURY FOR JHOEK 
USDOC FOR 4332/ITA/MAC/WH/OLAC 
USDOC ALSO FOR 3134/USFCS/OIO 
SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
USAID FOR LAC/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR PTER KCRM OPRC BR
SUBJECT: CODEL REID'S VISIT TO FOZ DO IGUACU, BRAZIL 
 
REF: (A) ASUNCION 989; (B) ASUNCION 986 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (U) During a November 27-28 visit to Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, 
Codel Reid met with the Ambassador and Embassy Brasilia and ConGen 
Sao Paulo officers, visited Federal Police headquarters and an 
operating center of the Maritime Federal Police, and toured Itaipu 
Dam.  The delegation dined with three influential Brazilian Senators 
as well as the Mayor of Foz and several members of his Cabinet. 
This successful visit afforded the Senators an opportunity to learn 
about the tri-border area (TBA - Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina) from 
the Brazilian side, and to strengthen contacts and ties with 
national and local political leaders.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), accompanied by Senators Byron 
Dorgan (D-ND), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jeff Bingaman 
(D-NM), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), as well as 
six staff members, arrived in Foz do Iguacu from Asuncion, Paraguay 
the morning of November 27.  They were greeted by Paulo MacDonald 
Ghisi, Mayor of Foz and Consul General (CG) White.  The entire 
delegation, which was followed by local media throughout the day, 
first paid a visit to the world-famous Iguacu Falls national park, 
followed by a briefing conducted over lunch by Ambassador and 
Embassy and ConGen staff. 
 
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VISIT WITH FEDERAL POLICE 
------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) At the headquarters of the Federal Police (DPF), DPF 
Director Jose Carlos Calazane presented a video highlighting DPF's 
efforts against organized crime, drug trafficking, illegal 
immigration and contraband (e.g., marijuana, firearms, electronics, 
and clothing).  Asked by one Senator why the U.S. should be 
concerned with the TBA when we have our own problems along the 
U.S.-Mexican border, the Director was quick to respond that illegal 
immigration and drug trafficking take various indirect routes before 
reaching a final destination, possibly the U.S., suggesting that the 
focus of interdiction efforts should be expanded.  The Director 
addressed mostly smuggling issues as opposed to international 
terrorism concerns, but he did touch upon the Joint Intelligence 
Center and the question of cooperation with Argentina and Paraguay, 
indicating, without elaborating, that law enforcement entities 
representing the three countries do have a working relationship. 
 
¶4.  (U) At the Federal Police Maritime facility (DEPOM) located on 
Lake Itaipu, the delegation received an additional briefing 
regarding specific interdiction operations along the waterways with 
Paraguay and were shown a vast array of confiscated items taken from 
smugglers trying to cross the border via boat.  The DPF agent in 
charge stated that the majority of incidents involving smugglers end 
up in conflict, with shots fired.  Advanced radar tracking 
capabilities as well as high-tech communications were also 
highlighted, but manpower remains an issue: The facility could 
accommodate up to 30 DPF agents, but only 12 were assigned there. 
 
¶5.  (U) Finally, the Senators were taken on a brief windshield tour 
of Itaipu Dam, now the world's second-largest hydro-electric 
facility (after the Three Gorges Dam in China), a bi-national 
project jointly conceived and operated by the Governments of Brazil 
and Paraguay.  Itaipu generates approximately 95 percent of 
Paraguay's electricity and between 20 and 25 percent of Brazil's. 
 
 
SAO PAULO 00000966  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶6.  (U) The Senators' spouses separately visited Fundacao Nosso Lar, 
a shelter for victims of human trafficking established with USAID 
assistance and operated by the municipality, and participated in a 
march organized by the Mayor and Mrs. MacDonald to call for more 
research, prevention, and treatment of breast cancer. 
 
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SENATORS AND MAYOR 
------------------ 
 
¶7.  (U) The CODEL hosted a dinner for three Brazilian Senators who 
flew from Brasilia for the occasion - Heraclito Fortes (Democratic 
Party (DEM) from Piaui), Chairman of the Foreign Relations and 
National Defense Committee; Joao Tenorio (Brazilian Social Democracy 
Party (PSDB) from Alagoas), a sugar cane grower who is on the 
Permanent Subcommittee on Biofuels; and Adelmir Santana (DEM from 
the Federal District), a successful businessman who serves on the 
Economic Affairs Committee.  Also present were Mayor MacDonald and 
the Municipal Secretary of International Affairs, Sergio Lobato, and 
of Government, Carlos Fernandes Duso, and the Technical Director of 
Itaipu Dam, Antonio Otelo Cardoso. 
 
¶8.  (U) In his informal welcoming remarks, the Mayor thanked the 
U.S. Senators for visiting his city and the three Brazilian Senators 
for helping him draw attention to wonders of Foz do Iguacu.  In an 
interesting turn, Mayor MacDonald launched into criticism that the 
United States is devoting so much attention to China instead of 
taking greater advantage of the trade opportunities Brazil offers. 
He contrasted Brazil's commitment to democracy with China's 
totalitarian system and accompanying human rights violations.  The 
Mayor was eager to demonstrate that Foz and the TBA are not all 
about terrorism, and called for more partnerships between the USG 
and the GoB, as well as state and local governments, to help the 
region achieve its economic potential.  Senator Fortes spoke briefly 
about his positive experience with inter-parliamentary engagement 
with his U.S. counterparts and stressed the benefits and rewards of 
such dialogue. 
 
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MEDIA COVERAGE 
-------------- 
 
¶9.  (U) Media coverage of CODEL Reid included extensive local 
coverage of the group's activities in Foz but also gained some 
limited play in the national media.  Most national media comments 
cited the brevity of their time in Brazil within the overall context 
of their five-nation visit.  The local Foz do Iguacu papers, A 
Gazeta do Iguacu and Jornal do Iguacu, provided favorable coverage 
of the CODEL in a national security context.  The Senators' spouses 
(along with the Ambassador's and CG's wives) were pictured on the 
front page of the November 28 Gazeta do Iguacu participating in the 
breast cancer awareness march.  Several Brazilian on-line sites 
picked up the coverage of the local papers and repeated the national 
security themes echoed in the previous days reporting.  All in all, 
media coverage was positive. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶10.  (U) The visit to Foz was informative and useful in improving 
our relations in this tri-border region.  It enabled the Senators to 
demonstrate the U.S. interest in South America and the TBA, and to 
exchange views with national and local political figures.  The 
presentations by the Federal Police were especially useful in 
highlighting the law enforcement challenges posed by the proximity 
 
SAO PAULO 00000966  003 OF 003 
 
 
of other countries.  End Comment. 
 
¶11.  (U) This cable was cleared by CODEL Reid following the 
delegation's departure, and approved by Ambassador Sobel. 
 
WHITE