VZCZCXYZ0008
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBR #1276 3031547
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301547Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5304
INFO RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1604

UNCLAS BRASILIA 001276 
 
SIPDIS 
 
GENEVA FOR RMA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: BR CU PREF SMIG
SUBJECT: REQUEST TO BRAZIL TO RESETTLE CUBAN MIGRANTS 
PROTECTED ON GUANTANAMO 
 
REF: A. A. SECSTATE 103585 
     ¶B. B. 2008 BRASILIA 775 
 
¶1.  On October 16, Poloff delivered reftel demarche and left 
nonpapers in English and Portuguese with Gilda Mattos Santos 
Neves, head of the United Nations Division of the Ministry of 
External Relations (MRE), who promised to shepherd our 
request through the GOB.  Neves said she would check with the 
National Committee for Refugees (CONARE), under the Ministry 
of Justice but with MRE representation, which she believed 
would have the lead.  She was concerned, however, that the 
migrants did not fall neatly into any Brazilian legal 
category and were not being handled with the intermediation 
of the UNHCR.  Poloff stressed UNHCR support for the 
resettlement program and the active involvement of IOM. 
 
¶2.  Neves did not raise any political or diplomatic issues 
with regard to resettling Cubans in Brazil, and she said she 
would report back to us after she received the views of 
CONARE and others in the GOB. 
 
¶3.  On October 28, Poloff revisited Neves to check on 
progress with regard to the Cuban migrants.  Neves apparently 
had not received a positive reaction within the GOB and had 
nothing to report.  Based on previous efforts to engage the 
GOB on this issue (ref B), we do not expect a definitive 
response.  Nonetheless, we will check back periodically. 
KUBISKE