VZCZCXRO1515
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #1334/01 2821753
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081753Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2615
INFO RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 2881
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 6726
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 8562
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 0044

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 001334 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/SAT - CHRIS CANNIZZARO 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/BSC - DAVID SCHNIER 
NASA FOR KENT BRESS AND MICHAEL MOORE 
NASA FOR DIANE WICKLAND 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KSCA TSPA TSPL SENV BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL:  UPDATE ON SPACE COOPERATION 
 
REF:  A) BRASILIA 779, B) STATE 87179, 
C) BRASILIA 525 
 
¶1.  (U) THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED AND NOT FOR 
INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  On October 1, 2008, Environment, Science, 
Technology and Health Counselor met with Luis Maria Pio Correa, the 
Acting Director of the Ministry of External Relations (MRE) Division 
of Oceans, Antarctica and Space, to discuss U.S.-Brazil space 
cooperation.  ESTH Counselor updated the MRE on possible 
negotiations regarding the framework space cooperation agreement and 
two agreements about specific projects.  Pio Correa explained that 
the MRE was sending a letter to the Ministry of Science and 
Technology, which should allow for the release to the USG of a 
fallen U.S. space object it is holding.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶3.  (SBU) On October 1, Environment, Science, Technology and Health 
(ESTH) Counselor discussed U.S.-Brazil space cooperation with Luis 
Maria Pio Correa, the Acting Director of the Ministry of External 
Relations (MRE) Division of Oceans, Antarctica and Space (DMAE). 
The discussion covered, among other things, three agreements that 
the USG was seeking authority to negotiate, the recovery of a fallen 
space object, the status of the agreement on the Large Scale 
Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) signed in 2006, 
and possible sharing of information from the China-Brazil Earth 
Resources Satellite (CBERS) to fill the gap that may be left in 
remote sensing coverage under the LANDSAT program. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) ESTH Counselor informed Pio Correa that the USG was 
seeking authority (i.e., through the C-175 process) to negotiate 
three agreements concerning U.S.-Brazil space cooperation.  These 
agreements are: (1) a framework space cooperation agreement to 
replace the current one, which is due to expire at the conclusion of 
a one-year extension on January 31, 2009 (see REFTEL A); (2) an 
agreement concerning Brazil's participating in the global 
precipitation measurement program, led by the United States and 
Japan; and (3) an agreement on the study of the ozone to replace an 
agreement involving the use of atmospheric balloons for these ozone 
studies that expired in September 2008.  MRE, the Brazilian Space 
Agency (AEB), and the National Space Research Institute (INPE) have 
each expressed interested in these agreements. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) With respect to the framework agreement, ESTH Counselor 
shared with Pio Correa a copy of the U.S.-French framework agreement 
(provided earlier by OES/SAT), which included an acceptable 
provision on cross-waiver of liability.  That provision is likely to 
be the most difficult issue for the U.S.-Brazilian agreement. 
Further, ESTH Counselor reiterated the USG interest in arranging 
soon an informal discussion between the U.S. and Brazilian lawyers 
on that liability issue.  Pio Correa said they would seek to arrange 
this.  COMMENT.  Pio Correa noted one complication for negotiations 
of the framework space cooperation agreement - and possibly the 
other agreements - is that the Director of the Department of the 
Environment, which oversees DMAE, Minister Luis Figueiredo Machado, 
has signaled that he wanted to be personally involved in the 
negotiations.  He had previously been the Director of DMAE. 
Unfortunately, Figueiredo Machacho also has international climate 
change negotiations in his wide portfolio and has very little time 
to devote to space cooperation.  END COMMENT. 
 
RECOVERY OF FALLEN SPACE OBJECT 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Pio Correa explained that the MRE was sending a letter to 
the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), which is the parent 
organization for INPE, to authorize the return to the USG of the 
fallen space object (REFTELS B and C).  He explained that INPE had 
possession of the object. 
 
EXTENSION OF LBA 
 
¶6.  (SBU) In July 2006, the USG and the GOB signed a renewal of the 
Implementing Arrangement for Cooperation on Environmental Scientific 
Research in the Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in 
Amazonia Agreement(LBA).  The MRE determined that this agreement 
would need the approval of the Brazilian Congress.  Pio Correa 
stated that the transmittal package was still at the President's 
Office (Casa Civil) and had not yet been sent to the Congress.  He 
explained that the Casa Civil had been requesting numerous 
background materials and justifications before sending it to the 
Congress.  He did not say when it would be transmitted, but he 
expected it would be sent soon. 
 
 
BRASILIA 00001334  002 OF 002 
 
 
POSSIBILITY OF SHARING CBERS DATA 
 
¶7.  (SBU) ESTH Counselor and Pio Correa discussed in general terms 
the possibility of sharing of data from the China-Brazil Earth 
Resources Satellite (CBERS) to fill the gap that may be left in 
coverage under the LANDSAT program.  Pio Correa said that he did not 
see any problem coming from Brazil.  He understood, however, that 
Brazil would need China's permission to share the data from CBERS 
with the United States. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Finally, Pio Correa stressed that his small office was 
understaffed and overworked.  He hoped that in the near future they 
would soon have a new Director of DMAE, which would provide some 
relief. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) COMMENT.  Space cooperation appears to have the support of 
the Brazilian technical agencies - AEB and INPE - and concurrence of 
MRE.  Nonetheless, the severe shortage of officials at MRE working 
on space cooperation is slowing the speed with which we can make 
progress.  Goodwill has not been able to compensate for the lack of 
staff at MRE.  It is possible that if the framework space 
cooperation agreement can be concluded in the mid-term, this success 
might ease the way for the other two space cooperation agreements. 
END COMMENT. 
 
SOBEL