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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BRASILIA 001320 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2019 
TAGS: KNNP IAEA ENRG BR
SUBJECT: AMB. SUSAN BURK MEETS WITH BRAZILIANS IN PREPARATION FOR 
2010 NPT REVIEW CONFERENCE 
 
Classified By: Charge D'Affaires Lisa Kubiske for reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d). 
 
REF:  A) BRASILIA 1261, B) BRASILIA 1141 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY.  During meetings in Brasilia on October 28, Special 
Representative of the President for Nuclear Non-proliferation Susan 
Burk garnered support from Brazilian counterparts for the U.S. 
approach to the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review 
conference.  The Brazilian Ministry of External Relations and 
Ministry of Defense both strongly endorsed the concept of advancing 
all three pillars of the NPT: disarmament; non-proliferation; and 
peaceful use of nuclear technology.  Sensitivities over Brazil 
signing an Additional Protocol and the proposal for nuclear fuel 
banks were recognized, but did not appear to be significant obstacles 
to cooperation at the review conference.  Following consultations in 
capital, Amb. Burk travelled to Rio de Janeiro where she provided the 
keynote address to the first major international nonproliferation 
conference in Latin America.  END SUMMARY 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  In meetings with key Government of Brazil (GOB) officials 
on October 28 in Brasilia, the Special Representative of the 
President for Nuclear Non-proliferation, Ambassador Susan Burk, 
advanced the agenda of the U.S. Government (USG) in preparation for 
the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference (RevCon). 
(REFTEL A.)  The Brazilians were interested in the topic, 
well-informed, and appreciative of the opportunity to have an open 
and frank discussion with the USG. 
 
¶3.  (U) Building on President Obama's speech on nonproliferation in 
Prague and Secretary Clinton's recent speech on nonproliferation at 
the U.S. Institute for Peace, Amb. Burk sketched out the USG vision 
for the 2010 NPT RevCon.  She stressed in her meetings with Brazilian 
officials the need to make progress on the three pillars of the NPT: 
disarmament; non-proliferation; and peaceful use of nuclear 
technology.  On disarmament, she outlined the USG's efforts, 
particularly the START disarmament negotiations with Russia, plans to 
ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and negotiating a 
Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FCMT).  With respect to 
non-proliferation, she emphasized the need to strengthen the 
safeguards regime, especially in light of the current regime's 
failure to uncover the undeclared nuclear facilities in Iran and 
Syria.  The NPT RevCon should look at the issue of withdrawal, 
particularly in cases where state party is not in compliance.  Burk 
foresaw a "nuclear energy renaissance" and so the peaceful use pillar 
is significant.  President Obama wants to see that the International 
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has the resources and authorities to play 
its role, she explained.  We want to see a safe, reliable and secure 
nuclear sector; this means there will need to be accountability with 
increasing use of nuclear technology.  Burk said that the USG wanted 
to know Brazil's priorities and concerns and also sought the GOB's 
advice on how to make progress at the RevCon, especially in working 
with other groups. 
 
GOOD REACTION FROM MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS 
 
¶4.  (C) The Ministry of External Relations Under Secretary for 
Political Affairs, Ambassador Vera Machado, stated that Amb. Burk was 
"using my talking points" with the emphasis on making progress on all 
three pillars at the REVCON.  Machado said that the GOB "in principle 
is very close to the U.S. position" and it "will have a constructive 
attitude for the" 2010 NPT REVCON.  Machado noted that she was 
pleased by President Obama's non-proliferation speech in Prague and 
the UN Special Session on nonproliferation.  The GOB considered the 
2000 NPT REVCON to have been very successful, but not the 2005 
conference. 
 
¶5.  (C) U/S Machado and Amb. Burk had a cordial discussion about two 
sensitive nonproliferation issues: the IAEA Additional Protocol and 
the proposals for nuclear fuel banks.  Burk recognized that the GOB 
may not yet be ready to sign an IAEA Additional Protocol, still she 
underscored that the USG considered the Additional Protocol as a 
measure to provide greater confidence in the safeguards regime.  Burk 
noted that the U.S. Senate had ratified its Additional Protocol. 
While the GOB is considering the issue, Burk urged the GOB to 
consider supporting a consensus that the Additional Protocol can be a 
valuable tool.  She mentioned National Security Advisor Jim Jones' 
offer to have technical experts come to the United States to discuss 
the Additional Protocol with USG experts.  U/S Machado said that the 
 
BRASILIA 00001320  002 OF 004 
 
 
issue of the Additional Protocol is under discussion in Brazil, but 
she didn't know when the GOB might be ready to sign one.  Machado 
stated that the proposal to send experts to the United States was a 
good idea. 
 
¶6.  (C) COMMENT.  The sensitive nature of the Additional Protocol 
issue was highlighted at the international non-proliferation 
conference in Rio de Janeiro that Amb. Burk attended after her 
meetings in Brasilia.  In response to a blunt challenge from speaker 
Pierre Goldschmidt that Brazil sign an Additional Protocol, a series 
of agitated Brazilian attendees responded in nationalistic terms, 
including likening such a step to "unilateral capitulation" to the 
nuclear weapons states.  These Brazilians expressed the view that 
this measure signaled a profound lack of trust in Brazil - even 
though the Brazilian constitution explicitly prohibits nuclear 
weapons - and also pointed to the imbalance in the efforts on 
disarmament compared to those on non-proliferation under the NPT. 
Former Deputy Minister of External Relations, Ambassador Marcos de 
Azambuja, voiced concern about the pressure on Brazil to sign an 
Additional Protocol.  Later, on the margins of the conference, Amb. 
Azambuja came to Amb. Burk to tell her in cnfidence that the GOB 
will eventually sign an Addtional Protocol.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶7.  (U) On fuel anks, Amb. Burk said that the USG believes that thy 
can help.  The likely increase in demand for nclear fuel shouldn't 
mean that every country nees to or should produce its own fuel.  U/S 
Machadosaid that the GOB still has the fuel banks proposas under 
consideration.  However, they still had questions about the political 
and economic aspects of the various proposals.  (NOTE:  In REFTEL B, 
Ministry of External Relations staff voiced concerns about possibly 
restricting a country's right to nuclear technology for peaceful 
purposes and also about under what criteria a country could draw on 
such a fuel bank.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶8.  (C) U/S Machado wanted to know more about the Nuclear Security 
Summit convoked by President Obama.  She wondered how it related to 
the 2010 NPT RevCon.  Amb. Burk explained that the Nuclear Security 
Summit is a separate event (non-NPT parties will participate), but it 
is a complement to the RevCon.  Machado wondered about how India and 
Pakistan could be inserted into the NPT.  Burk indicated that we 
can't realistically see them joining as non-weapons states in the 
foreseeable future, however, we should be attempting to get them 
closer to the non-proliferation norms. 
 
¶9.  (C) U/S Machado raised Iran and asked for an update on the 
negotiations with Iran to ship processed uranium to the IAEA for 
processing into fuel for Iran's research reactor.  She said the 
Iranian President Ahmadinejad was coming to Brazil and that she 
expected President Lula to encourage Iran to take confidence building 
measures.  She commented that Lula and Ahmadinejad have a good 
chemistry and that he listens to Lula.  Further, she added that Lula 
was pressing Iran to stop demonizing the other parties.  Machado said 
that in the last ten years Iran hasn't been following the rules and 
needs to work to rebuild international confidence in its nuclear 
program. 
 
CAUTIOUS RESPONSE FROM DEFENSE MINISTRY 
 
¶10.  (C) At the Ministry of Defense, Amb. Burk met with the Director 
of the International Affairs Department, Air Force Lt. General 
Marcelo Mario de (Holanda) Coutinho, and his team of advisors. 
Specifically about the REVCON, Holanda said that the GOB supports 
progress on all three pillars of the NPT.  He added that the United 
States has an ally in Brazil on non-proliferation matters.  The GOB 
was ready to cooperate and try to advance non-proliferation matters. 
Holanda stressed that the Defense Ministry was part of the 
interagency group that handled nuclear matters, but that the Ministry 
of External Relations had the lead and spoke for the GOB at 
international organizations.  He added that he and his team were 
technical experts, and that decisions were made above him at the 
political level.  He noted that the technical experts in the GOB had 
a difficult time obtaining political level buy-in on 
non-proliferation matters, especially when the political leaders 
viewed the matters as penalizing Brazil.  (COMMENT.  He presumably 
was alluding to the GOB signing an Additional Protocol and/or 
supporting nuclear fuel banks.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶11.  (C) Gen. Holanda took a broad brush to Brazil's nuclear history, 
though he skipped over the darker parts where the GOB has a weapons 
 
BRASILIA 00001320  003 OF 004 
 
 
program during the military dictatorship.  Brazil is a leader on 
non-proliferation, he stressed, pointing to the Brazilian 
constitution which prohibits nuclear weapons, the long record of 
inspections under the Argentine-Brazil entity called ABACC, and 
Brazil's signing in 1967 the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear 
Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (commonly called the 
Treaty of Tlatelolco).  He brought up recent remarks by Vice 
President Jose Alencar indicating that Brazil would be better off 
with nuclear weapons, and emphasized that these comments should be 
ignored and certainly are contrary to the GOB's policy.  He shrugged 
off Alencar's remarks as mere loose talk by a politician, who 
sometimes say whatever comes to mind. 
 
¶12.  (C) Gen. Holanda said that Brazil was determined to expand and 
develop its nuclear energy sector and this was reflected in the 2008 
National Defense Strategy.  While supportive of non-proliferation 
efforts in general, the GOB would not accept measures that would 
"penalize" Brazil.  Holanda emphasized that given its excellent 
non-proliferation record, Brazil deserves differential treatment. 
The GOB would not accept measures that would "close the door" on its 
ability to expand its peaceful use of nuclear energy sector, he 
underscored.  For Holanda, it was hard to reconcile the treatment of 
India and Pakistan, which didn't respect international regimes, and 
the treatment intended for Brazil.  While on the theme of Brazil 
being penalized, Holanda said that the USG in the past had 
"penalized" Brazil by prohibiting the sale of Super Tucano aircraft 
(which contained U.S. sensitive technology) to Venezuela. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶13.  (C) Amb. Burk's meetings with the Ministry of External Relations 
and the Defense Ministry were positive and served to encourage 
greater cooperation by Brazil.  While not ignoring the sensitive 
issues of the Additional Protocol and nuclear fuel banks, there was a 
focus on the bigger picture of strengthening the NPT and advancing 
all three pillars.  This message resonated very well with Brazilian 
interlocutors.  END COMMENT. 
 
REVISITING SOME FAMILIAR THEMES IN RIO 
 
¶14. (SBU) Amb. Burk travelled to Rio de Janeiro to provide the 
keynote address to the first major international nonproliferation 
conference sponsored by Centro Brasileiro De Relacoes Internacionais 
(CEBRI) and the Argentina-based Nonproliferacion para la Seguridad 
Global (NPS Global).  The two day event, entitled, "Nonproliferation 
and Nuclear Disarmament: The Future of the NPT" featured 5 panels 
addressing the three pillars of the Treaty- nonproliferation 
disarmament and peaceful use, as well as discussions on its 
usefulness and effectiveness as the cornerstone of the 
nonproliferation regime. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Presentations and remarks were provided by regulars in the 
nonproliferation community, such as Rebecca Johnson of the UK-based 
Acronym Institute; Vladimir Orlov of the Russian-based PIR Center; 
Sergio Duarte, the UN High Commissioner for Disarmament; Rolf Ekeus, 
formerly with UNSCOM; Pierre Goldschmidt of Carnegie Endowment for 
International Peace; and Olli Heinonen, the head of safeguards at the 
IAEA; and Gareth Evans, head of the International Nonproliferation 
and Disarmament Commission.  Joseph Cirincione of the Ploughshares 
Fund, another fixture, was sponsored by the Rio Consulate, and 
provided a dynamic and well-received multi-media presentation on the 
"Transformation of American Nuclear Policy," explaining some of the 
changes and challenges of the Obama Administration. 
 
¶16. (SBU) The conference featured a distinctly Latin American flavor, 
highlighting presentations by several key diplomats from the region 
including Alfredo Labbe of Chile, as well as Rafael Grossi and 
Gustavo Ainchil of Argentina.  In his remarks, Labbe advocated for 
the AP and international fuel assurances, noting that Chile has no 
need for a nuclear program, however requires access to nuclear energy 
and fuel.  He stressed the criticality of investing in an incentives 
based approach to creating a fuel bank, noting that "peaceful uses 
will remain after all nonproliferation and disarmament objectives 
have been reached".  Grossi highlighted the success of the regional 
safeguards organization ABACC, and the role of Latin America as a 
leader on nonproliferation and disarmament, suggesting Argentina and 
Brazil should be a model by "giving the world a wonderful idea of how 
to do things." 
 
 
BRASILIA 00001320  004 OF 004 
 
 
¶17. (SBU) In a panel on disarmament, B.S. Prakash, Indian Ambassador 
to Brazil, emphasized that India "has always agreed in a world 
without nuclear weapons" but does not believe in the NPT.  He 
explained that by not joining the NPT, India has endured enormous 
costs, however not because of its proliferation activities.  He 
asserted India was responsible player on disarmament because of its 
interest in a nuclear weapons convention and an FMCT, as well as its 
unilateral moratorium on testing.  Vladimir Orlov, also on the panel, 
chided Prakash, noting that to demonstrate progress on disarmament, 
India should be more in line with the P5, and should act as an NPT 
party. 
 
¶18. (SBU) The penultimate event of the conference was a provocative 
panel chaired by Gareth Evans, examining whether the NPT should 
improved or substituted, perhaps with an alternate regime.  Evans 
expressed his support for the current regime and discussed his highly 
anticipated report, in which his 20-point plan will be "idealistic 
but realistic; ambitious but pragmatic."  He acknowledged the role 
for a nuclear weapons convention, an alternative regime suggested by 
another speaker, explaining that such an agreement should not 
supplant the NPT, at least in the near term.  Pierre Goldschmidt, 
another panel participant and former IAEA head of safeguards, 
asserted that the NPT should be fully implemented and enforced, 
stressing the role of the IAEA and the Additional Protocol.  He 
explained that only six countries with significant nuclear activities 
had not signed the Additional Protocol, singling out Argentina and 
Brazil.  He explained that without an Additional Protocol, Brazil was 
indirectly supporting noncompliant countries like Iran and Syria.  He 
claimed that Brazil's constitution, which forbids the development of 
nuclear weapons, does not provide adequate assurance to the 
international community, and went on to quote several unpopular 
Brazilian politicians to indicate Brazil may have intentions 
otherwise.  These suggestions prompted a strong reaction from 
participants, with Sergio Duarte and Ambassador Marcos de Azambuja, 
the head of CEBRI, jumping into the discussion to defend Brazil's 
record.  Marcos de Azambuja explained that he supported the 
Additional Protocol, but Brazil viewed it as a concession, and was 
"holding out" on behalf of all Non-Nuclear Weapons States, though he 
could not specify what for. 
 
ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE 
 
¶19. (U) The conference concluded with a keynote address by Amb. Burk 
in which she outlined the USG's agenda for strengthening the 
nonproliferation regime, and her thoughts for a successful 2010 NPT 
Review Conference.  She acknowledged Brazil as a model for a country 
that has steered away from nuclear weapons and has instead pursued a 
path towards using nuclear energy.  In her remarks, Burk underscored 
the importance of a balanced review of all three pillars of the NPT, 
the concept of reciprocal responsibilities, and the need for States 
Parties to constructively approach the Review Conference as an 
opportunity to provide momentum to other related efforts and fora. 
The positive and encouraging message she delivered, contrasted 
sharply with the tone of the previous panel, was well-received and 
gave further boost to perception that the United States strives to be 
a constructive player in multilateral fora. 
 
KUBISKE