VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBR #0106 0331933
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021932Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0403
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000106 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR EEB/TRA/OTP, WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC 
STATE PASS USDOT NBRAVO 
STATE PASS USTDA FOR NYOUNGE, GMANDEL 
STATE PASS USDOC FOR ADRISCOLL, LFUSSELL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD EINV EIND BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: MINISTERY OF TRANSPORTATION PRESENTS DRAFT PROPOSED 
ROADWAY COOPERATION AGREEMENT 
 
REF: 09 BRASILIA 1238 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: With the goal of enhancing roadway sector 
cooperation, Brazil's Ministry of Transportation (MOT) and the U.S. 
Department of Transportation (DOT) are negotiating a new 
cooperation agreement.  MOT has proposed text for a draft 
Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) designed to establish specific 
areas of roadway sector engagement and identification of mechanisms 
of cooperation.  The MOC is the result of meetings that took place 
in October 2009 between Brazilian transportation officials and 
Nelda Bravo from DOT's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 
(REFTEL).  Post has forwarded the document to DOT and EEB/WHA and 
understands both the DOT legal department and L are reviewing.  End 
Summary. 
 
 
 
 
 
OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED MEMORANDUM 
 
----------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) The MOC draws its authorization from the Cooperation in 
Science and Technology Agreement signed in 1984 between Brazil and 
the United States and requires signatures from DOT and MOT 
representatives.  The document is scheduled to enter into force 
from the date of its signing and will be effective for five years. 
Renewal and review time lines are still being negotiated between 
the 2 parties.  The MOC's stated goal is to establish mutually 
beneficial mechanisms that allow for the exchange of information, 
technology and experience among experts and specialists in both 
countries' roadway sectors.  Possible areas of mutual cooperation 
identified by MOT are: project management, technological 
innovations in the areas of construction, rehabilitation  and 
maintenance of pavement and special projects such as bridges, 
material engineering, road safety, and Intelligent Transportation 
System (ITS)implementation (Note: Brazil's highway regulatory 
agency ANTT officially adopted the U.S. based NTCIP protocol used 
to implement ITS on December 29, 2009. It is estimated that one 
specific potential ITS project in Sao Paulo is worth USD500 
million. End Note).  Modalities of cooperation included in the MOC 
range from seminars, DVCs, and academic meetings, to personnel 
training programs, imbedding experts and specialists under short 
and long-term exchange scenarios, and technology and information 
exchanges.  The MOC designates Brazil's National Transportation 
Infrastructure Agency (DNIT), Brazil's National Roadway Regulatory 
Agency (ANTT), and DOT's FHWA as partner agencies in the pursuit of 
the document's successful implementation. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Comment:  MOT's proposed MOC is consistent with the 
proposals for cooperation DOT discussed during the September trip 
to Brazil (reftel).  The MOC offers an excellent roadmap towards 
increasing highway regulatory cooperation and information exchange 
between Brazil and the United States and  provides an excellent 
opportunity to promote U.S. business interests through the 
implementation of the ITS in Brazil.  Given Brazilian pre-election 
prohibitions on undertaking new programs in the months leading up 
to October's national elections, completing the agreement and 
beginning work as soon as possible would optimize the potential for 
concrete cooperation in the near-term.   Upon receiving comments 
and/or clearance from the legal departments at State and DOT, Post 
will work with MOT to finalize the agreement and work toward a 
signing in the near future.  End Comment. 
KUBISKE