VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBR #1079 2211129
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 081129Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2246
INFO RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 6483
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 2578

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRASILIA 001079 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/BSC AND L 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2018 
TAGS: BR MOPS PREL SNAR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS ON SHOOTDOWN 
 
REF: A. BRASILIA 806 
     ¶B. STATE 54183 
 
Classified By: DCM Lisa Kubiske.  REASON:1.5 (d) 
 
¶1.  (C)  On August 5, POLMILOFF met with Ministry of External 
Relations (MRE) Special Advisor Marcos Pinta Gama and 
discussed U.S.-Brazil cooperation on shootdown-related 
issues.  (Note: Pinta Gama, a key embassy contact, is chief 
of staff to Secretary General (vice minister) Samuel Pinheiro 
Guimaraes, the MRE's senior point person on all pol-mil 
issues, and MRE liaison with the Defense Ministry and 
military.  End note.)  Pinta Gama expressed satisfaction with 
working level contacts with U.S. agencies and said that he 
believed exchanges of information were improving.  He said 
that one of the results of Defense Minister Jobim's visit to 
Florida was better understanding of the advantages of greater 
information sharing in the counternarcotics area and that the 
GOB would be looking at ways to expand cooperation including 
by sending additional personnel to JIATF-S in Key West. 
 
¶2.  (C)  On Brazil's shootdown legislation, Pinta Gama stated 
that Brazil has a strong policy in place to ensure that the 
highest safety standards are enforced.  He noted that Brazil 
has never shot down a plane, but the policy's existence has 
brought about a "significant" decrease in the use of 
Brazilian airspace by drug traffickers.  Pinta Gama believes 
that Brazil's record of safe application of its shootdown 
policy and air controller's familiarity with it makes any 
shootdown unlikely. 
SOBEL