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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 001195 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2019 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL SOCI BR HO
SUBJECT: BRAZIL REQUESTS MORE HELP IN HONDURAS 
 
REF: BRASILIA 01184 
 
BRASILIA 00001195  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Charge d' Affaires, a.i. Lisa Kubiske, reason: 1.4 (b) a 
nd (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Brazil,s Ministry of External Relations 
(MRE) Head of Mexico and Central America Division First 
Secretary Renato de Avila Viana told Poloff on September 24 
that while the immediate threat to the Brazilian Embassy in 
Honduras has diminished, the GOB needs assistance getting 
their personnel, and potentially OAS and other international 
community intermediaries, in and out of the Brazilian Embassy 
in Honduras and in communication with Zelaya and the current 
Honduran government. UK Embassy counterparts at the same time 
met with MRE Head of Central America and Caribbean Department 
Ambassador Goncalo Mello Mourao and were told that the GOB 
has not asked the United States for any specific assistance 
and believe that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was behind 
Zelaya,s appearance at the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa. 
End Summary. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
BRAZILIAN EMBASSY WELCOMED ZELAYA WITH OPEN ARMS 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) According to Viana, while the GOB and Brazilian 
Embassy in Tegucigalpa had no hand in, or previous warning 
of, Zelaya,s surprise appearance at their door, MRE 
leadership welcomed him into the Embassy. Viana explained 
that Zelaya reached Tegucigalpa by land and that it was a 
Congress member in Honduras, who supports Zelaya, who first 
entered into contact with the Brazilian Embassy. They were 
informed that the ousted First Lady wanted to meet with the 
Brazilians in the Embassy, which they communicated back to 
Brasilia, and Under Secretary for Latin America Amb. Enio 
Cordeiro approved her entrance into the Embassy. The former 
First Lady appeared at the Embassy with Zelaya and it was 
Secretary-General (Deputy FM) Amb. Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes 
who gave the approval for Zelaya to enter, because the GOB 
supports Zelaya, explained Viana. 
 
¶3. (C) Viana was the one who communicated these approvals to 
the Brazilian Embassy and was the first to speak with Zelaya 
once he entered and said to the President, "our Embassy is 
your house, bien venido." According to Viana, Zelaya 
responded, "Thank you for your government,s continued 
support since I was kicked out.  This is my official return 
to my country and I am ready to announce that I am back." MRE 
officials then called Brazilian President Lula, who was on 
the plane to New York to meet with the UN, who said the 
situation was to be kept a secret until Chavez and Zelaya 
announced Zelaya,s return publicly, which occurred 
approximately one hour after Zelaya arrived at the Brazilian 
Embassy. Viana said that he offered Zelaya asylum but that 
Zelaya did not want it. 
-------------------------------------- 
TENSIONS EASE, HEAVY RESTRICTIONS REMAIN 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Viana said that the security situation at the 
Brazilian Embassy had improved; electricity and water were 
turned back on, however the phone lines were still down but 
they somehow had access to the internet and their best means 
of communication was via cellular phones. The greatest worry 
to the Brazilians right now, he said, is that while people 
can leave the Embassy, they are not allowed to return. Viana 
expressed the GOB,s appreciation for US assistance in 
providing a van to take most of their personnel out of the 
Embassy because the Honduran military is not allowing the 
operation of any vehicles associated with the Brazilian 
Embassy. Viana said that once the military expelled 
protestors who were in front of the Embassy, 300 Zelaya 
supporters jumped the fence and sought refuge in the Embassy. 
It was the Red Cross that brought three buses to the Embassy 
to ensure most of the protestors safe passage out of the 
Embassy. Currently, approximately 70 Zelaya supporters remain 
in the Brazilian Embassy. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
BRAZIL REQUESTS INCREASED ASSISTANCE 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Viana asked for greater U.S. pressure on the Honduran 
 
BRASILIA 00001195  002.4 OF 002 
 
 
government to ease their impositions on the Brazilian Embassy 
and on the international community to intervene. Viana said 
that the Brazilians in Honduras need to have free access into 
their Embassy use of their vehicles. The MRE is also looking 
to get a higher level Brazilian official into Honduras to 
help mediate the situation.  However, they fear that the 
official will be barred from entering the Embassy. Viana also 
said that they hope an Organization of American States 
delegation will arrive in Honduras this weekend, but fear 
those individuals will also have difficulty entering the 
Brazilian Embassy. International flights should be allowed to 
enter Honduras starting this weekend, according to Viana. 
 
¶6. (C) Viana explained that Brazil,s current strategy was to 
involve the OAS and the international community in 
negotiations. He said Zelaya and the government in power in 
Honduras were not communicating at all.  Zelaya communicates 
only with the Brazilians and press. The Brazilians in 
Honduras have only been able to communicate with Honduran 
military, and this has only developed recently due to 
assistance from the U.S. Embassy. Viana said that the best 
news he received so far was that the UN claimed the poor 
conditions in Honduras at this point suggest elections in 
November cannot be free and fair and have suspended election 
assistance. Viana said that increased pressure from the 
United States and the international community toward a 
solution is necessary. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
BRAZIL PLAYS DOWN U.S. HELP, BLAMES CHAVEZ IN TALK WITH UK 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) During PolOff,s meeting with Viana, UK Embassy Charge 
and PolOff met with Mourao at MRE and recounted to PolOff 
that Mourao said they are extending to Zelaya "hospitality, 
not asylum." Mourao told them that, while they did not 
specifically ask the U.S. for any assistance, the U.S. 
Embassy in Honduras had been quite helpful. (Note: Viana 
communicated several requests for assistance to PolOff in 
reftel.) Mourao told the British that the help they would 
like from the United States is in blocking remittances to 
Honduras as a way of pressuring the government in power, as, 
according to Mourao, 60 percent of remittances into Honduras 
come from the United States. Mourao also said the GOB 
believes Chavez was behind Zelaya,s plan to appear at the 
Brazilian Embassy, and appeared irritated over this. 
KUBISKE