VZCZCXRO0230
PP RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #0516/01 1172035
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 272035Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4138
INFO RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 9413
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7607
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 3917

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 000516 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR P, S/P, WHA, AND INL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2019 
TAGS: PREL SENV SNAR SCUL UNSC KSUM BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: AMBASSADOR MEETS MRE POLITICAL UNDER 
SECRETARY IN ADVANCE OF HER WASHINGTON VISIT 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Clifford Sobel, Reason 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary. Ambassador Sobel met April 24, with Brazilian 
Under Secretary for Political Affairs Amb. Vera Machado on 
the eve of her departure for her first trip to Washington 
since taking over the position.  In addition to leading the 
delegation to the Major Economies Forum (MEF), Machado will 
participate in the Joint Action Plan to Fight Racial 
Discrimination (JAPR) and hold other meetings with USG 
officials.  She indicated that Brazil was pleased with the 
outcome of the Summit of the Americas, confirmed that Iranian 
President Ahmadinejad would visit Brazil on May 5, and 
confirmed support for the U.S. candidacy to the UN Humand 
Rights Council.  The Ambassador raised concerns about our 
counterdrug cooperation and progress toward a final agreement 
on the Tropical Forests Conservation Act, which Machado 
promised to look into.  The two briefly discussed bilateral 
cooperation in Haiti and Africa.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Machado will lead Brazil's delegation to the MEF April 
27-28, attend portions of the meeting of the steering group 
for the JAPR April 29-30, and hold other meetings with USG 
officials.  The Ambassador suggested she also meet with S/P 
and INL.  Machado said she is looking forward to meeting 
Under Secretary Burns, saying she hoped to discuss UN 
Security Council reform, UN reform more broadly, and the "G8 
plus 5" forum.  She expressed interest in meeting with S/P, 
and said that as she is largely ignorant of the law 
enforcement and counterdrug matters in our bilateral 
relationship, she would be in listening mode on those issues 
in a meeting with INL.  She noted that they are largely 
handled by Virginia Toniatti, who runs the Office to Combat 
Transnational Illicit Activities (COCIT). 
 
¶3. (C) The Ambassador asked Machado, who attended the Summit 
of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, what she thought. 
She focused on the presence of President Obama, saying he was 
clearly the star, and that his persuasive manner and message 
of equal partnership had succeeded in changing the dynamic 
with Latin America. 
 
¶4. (C) The Ambassador raised difficulties the Mission is 
having obtaining weapons permits for DEA officials in 
Brasilia who took up positions transferred from Bolivia, and 
the delay in transmission of the 2007 and 2008 
counternarcotics LOAs.  Machado appeared genuinely surprised 
that the latter had not been transmitted, and clearly knew 
nothing of the former problem.  She promised to speak with 
Toniatti, who handles both issues, when she returns. 
 
¶5. (C) Machado and the Ambassador discussed the outcome of 
the recent Durban Review conference, and she lamented that 
Iranian President Ahmadinejad's remarks had overshadowed the 
process.  She confirmed that Brazil is still planning to host 
him May 5.  (Note: The MRE called in Iran's ambassdor to 
protest the remarks, issued an unusual public denunciation, 
and stated publicly that Brazil would use Ahmadinejad's visit 
to indicate its disagreement with the issue.  End note.) 
Machado asked if the outcome of the Durban Review conference 
would affect the U.S. position with regard to the Human 
Rights Council.  The Ambassador assured her it would not, and 
asked if we could count on Brazil's vote.  Machado responded 
that Brazil's ambassador in Geneva would be "delighted" to 
vote for the United States. 
 
¶6. (C) The Ambassador noted that we continue to wait for a 
reply from Brazil to the draft text of a Tropical Forests 
Conservation Act (TFCA) agreement.  He said he understood the 
legal complications in Brazil, but hoped Machado could help 
speed the process.  Machado said she would look into it. 
 
¶7. (C) The Ambassador briefed Machado on the recent visit to 
Washington by the Director of the Brazilian Cooperation 
Agency, noting that we are planning to expand cooperation in 
Mozambique. Machado noted that a group of Brazilian and UN 
officials had just returned from Guinea-Bissau, reporting to 
her surprise that the country does not appear to be the drug 
hub that we all feared.  Machado asked about prospects for 
cooperation under U.S. Hope II legislation regarding Haiti, 
in order to allow Brazilian textile manufacturers to export 
from Haiti to the United States duty free.  The Ambassador 
said that with a USTR now in place, it would be possible to 
pursue the issue with renewed vigor. 
 
¶8. (C) Comment: Machado, who has been in her current position 
less than two months, is proving to be an accessible 
interlocutor favorably inclined to work with the United 
States.  She is still getting her arms around her expansive 
 
BRASILIA 00000516  002 OF 002 
 
 
portfolio, which includes relations with North America and 
Europe, International Organizations Affairs, Environment and 
Climate Change, Transnational Crime, and Human Rights and 
Social Issues.  Her lack of attention to transnational crime 
and drug issues, in particular, is striking, in light of the 
important discussions we have had with other Brazilian 
officials on counterdrug cooperation, and the continuing 
difficulties we have with MRE at lower levels.  Post 
recommends that Washington take the opportunity of her visit 
to brief her on our interests in this area, in particular. 
SOBEL