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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 000773 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL'S LULA: NO FRAUD IN IRANIAN ELECTION 
 
REF: A. 09 BRASILIA 000551 
     ¶B. 09 BRASILIA 000479 
     ¶C. 07 BRASILIA 001889 
 
Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Marie Damour, Reason 1.4 
(b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: In reaction to the protests following the 
Iranian presidential elections, President Lula went beyond 
the usual Brazilian platitudes about not commenting on the 
internal affairs of other countries and defended the 
legitimacy of the vote in Iran while reiterating his 
invitation to Ahmadinejad to visit Brazil after the latter,s 
visit was postponed in May (Ref A).  Other senior government 
officials have called the elections and protest a sign of a 
vibrant democracy.  The Ministry of External Relations 
(Itamaraty) has been more circumspect, avoiding formal or 
informal statements, at least until the Guardians Council 
finishes the reported recounting of votes.  End summary. 
 
----------------- 
Just Sore Losers 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (U) In the aftermath of the Iranian presidential elections 
and the subsequent eruption in street protests, President 
Lula was quoted in the press as stating that they were merely 
the protests of "those who lost".  He dismissed the 
importance of the protests, noting that Iran "is not the 
first country that has an election in which those who lost 
protest the results...that,s becoming a fashion in Brazil... 
people who win the election lose them in the courts and the 
losers enter office."  Despite extensive indications 
suggesting the regime committed massive electoral fraud, he 
observed that "the margin of victory was too big for anyone 
to imagine there was fraud," adding, "I don,t know anyone 
other than the opposition who disagreed with the election 
results...there are no numbers, there is no evidence." 
Lula,s senior foreign policy advisor Marco Aurelio Garcia on 
Sunday echoed Lula's comments, calling the protests a 
"positive thing" that shows Iran is a vibrant democracy.  He 
praised the high turnout, which "demonstrated the intensity 
of social and political life in Iran." 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Ahmadinejad Still Welcome in Brasilia 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Lula also noted that the allegations of voter fraud 
and subsequent violence there would in no way impede a future 
Ahmadinejad visit to Brazil, after his May visit was 
cancelled (Ref A).  "The moment he wants to (reschedule the 
visit) I will receive him," Lula noted.  He added that he had 
plans to visit Iran in 2010 because of Brazil,s interest to 
expand the commercial relationship with Iran and Brazil,s 
interest in "establishing the best possible relations with 
all countries in the world, including Iran." 
 
--------------------- 
Caution in Itamaraty 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Secretary Carlos Leopoldo Goncalves de Oliveira told 
poloff that Itamaraty would not comment officially on events 
there and would not issue a statement of congratulations to 
the winner of the election at least until President Lula and 
Minister Amorim return from their trip to Kazakhstan.  For 
the moment, Itamaraty will monitor the Guardians Council,s 
recount.  Asked if  Itamaraty thought reports of election 
fraud had merit or whether it was concerned about reports of 
violence, Goncalves replied that Itamaraty had no position 
and had no further comment on the matter. 
 
--------- 
Comment: 
--------- 
 
¶5. (C) It does not surprise us that President Lula would 
engage in a speculative comment affirming the validity of the 
election, even amidst near universal expressions of concern 
 
BRASILIA 00000773  002 OF 002 
 
 
over voter fraud and his own Foreign Ministry,s silence. 
Lula,s agenda of building closer relations with Iran and 
possibly positioning himself to serve as a neutral arbiter 
between Iran and the West is clear.  Lula has a tendency to 
eschew diplomatic-speak when commenting on world events and 
is often more forward leaning than his foreign ministry would 
prefer (Ref B). It is also not the first time that he has 
commented on Iranian issues without carefully scrutinizing 
the facts, as he did when he declared during the 2007 UNGA 
that Iran had not violated any international agreements with 
regards to its nuclear program despite various UNSC 
resolutions declaring Iran in noncompliance with its IAEA 
obligations (Ref C).  Nevertheless, even if President Lula,s 
views did not reflect those of Brazil,s official foreign 
policy establishment, we should not expect the Brazilian 
government, perennially uncomfortable &messing8 in the 
internal affairs of other countries, to say anything critical 
of the election process or the Iranian regime,s actions. In 
the end, Brazil will probably accept, uncritically, any 
outcome as determined by the Guardians Council and the 
Supreme Leader. 
SOBEL