VZCZCXRO9730
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #0453 1042033
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 142033Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4042
INFO RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 9366
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7561
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 3864
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000453 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PARM KNNP KN BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL HAS NO RESPONSE ON NORTH KOREAN TAEPO-DONG 
2 LAUNCH 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 33031 
     ¶B. 08 BRASILIA 1486 
     ¶C. 08 BRASILIA 1559 
 
¶1.  (U)  Charge delivered demarche (ref A) on April 8 to 
Ambassador Roberto Jaguaribe, Under Secretary for Political 
Affairs in the Ministry for External Relations, who made no 
specific response on the North Korean rocket launch. 
Jaguaribe shared Brazil's views on North Korea in general and 
Brazil's decision to open an Embassy in Pyongyang, 
(previously reported reb B), but did not comment on the 
launch itself. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Jaguaribe noted that North Korea feels permanently 
threatened.  In his view, the best way to deal with North 
Korea is through engagement, not confrontation. Noting that 
the current South Korean government is "more confrontational" 
than its predecessor, he said engagement is a better approach 
because it can cause stress in rigid and closed regimes by 
revealing internal differences while confrontation provokes 
unity.  Japan is key to the solution, and secondarily, China, 
he stated.  Brazil has found North Korea very difficult to 
decipher but is willing to share insights gained from its 
embassy in Pyongyang after it is opened (ref B).  Brazil 
hopes the Obama administration will continue and expand the 
North Korea policy of the last period of the Bush 
administration, that is, through the Six Party Talks, he 
concluded. 
SOBEL