VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBR #0060 0211632
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211631Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0333
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000060 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV KGHG EAID EFIN BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: LET'S ESTABLISH A TROPICAL FOREST CONSERVATION ACT 
PROGRAM SOONEST 
 
PLEASE PASS TO AMB. SHANNON, OES - A/S JONES, AND WHA/BSC - DRUCKER 
 
 
 
 
(U) THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED AND NOT FOR INTERNET 
DISTRIBUTION. 
 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  Vice Minister of the Environment Izabella 
Teixeira says that the Government of Brazil (GOB) wants to 
establish a program under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act 
(TFCA) quickly, both to help conserve Brazil's tropical forests and 
as a symbol of the growing U.S.-Brazil bilateral relationship in 
the environmental area.  She sees substantial support across the 
GOB for a TFCA program, and the political goodwill on both sides 
should help to resolve the outstanding issues in the text of the 
TFCA agreement.  These views are shared by the Ministry of External 
Relations.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On January 20, the Vice Minister of the Environment 
Izabella Teixeira stressed to the Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Lisa 
Kubiske that the Government of Brazil (GOB) wants to establish a 
program under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA) as soon 
as possible.  She and Environment Ministry International Advisor 
Fernando Lyrio reported that the GOB had just held an 
interministerial meeting involving the Environment Ministry, 
Finance Ministry, and the Ministry of External Relations (MRE) to 
consider the comments provided by the U.S. Government (USG) to the 
GOB's November 30 TFCA counterproposal.  Teixeira and Lyrio both 
remarked how positive all the ministries were, which represents a 
turnaround for the MRE from its previously skeptical attitude. 
This new attitude was evident in a meeting on January 12 by the 
Science Counselor with the MRE's new Chief of the Environment 
Division, Paulino Carvalho.  He said that the MRE wanted to see a 
quick and successful conclusion to the negotiations of the TFCA 
agreement and establishment of a program in Brazil. 
 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Teixeira emphasized the importance of establishing this 
TFCA program because it would support the GOB's efforts to conserve 
the tropical forests in the coastal region called the "Mata 
Atlantica".  She added that a successful TFCA arrangement would 
have significant symbolic value for the expanding U.S.-Brazil 
environmental relationship.  The MRE share that perspective, based 
on the conversation with Carvalho. 
 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Teixeira and Lyrio, as well as Carvalho, indicated that 
there is substantial political goodwill on both sides, which should 
help greatly in resolving the outstanding issues.  Lyrio had 
attended the recent interministerial meeting on the TFCA and said 
that the GOB found the USG's comments acceptable.  He emphasized 
that the outstanding questions involve technical and legal ones. 
Lyrio specifically mentioned the need to resolve the issue of 
providing "quittances" as proposed by the GOB in its November 30 
counterproposal.  The GOB is proposing that USAID issue a document 
called a "quittance" as a written acknowledgement (receipt) 
discharging the GOB after each installment is paid. 
 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Environment Ministry will send a senior official, 
Cecilia Wey de Brito, who is the head of the Secretariat for 
Biodiversity and Forests, to the videoconference negotiating 
session scheduled for January 26.  Carvalho from the MRE is 
expected to participate, as well as officials from the Finance 
Ministry and legal advisors from all three ministries. 
 
 
 
 
KUBISKE