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R 271503Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4387
INFO RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRASILIA 000670 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA, USOAS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2019 
TAGS: BR PREL OAS
SUBJECT: BRAZILIAN VIEWS ON UPCOMING OASGA: ALL ABOUT CUBA 

REF: BRASILIA 582 

Classified By: DCM Lisa Kubiske. Reason: 1.4(d) 

¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Brazilian Ministry for External Relations (MRE) Director for International Organizations Carlos Duarte characterized Cuba as the dominant issue for the upcoming OAS General Assembly (OASGA). Brazil sees a resolution on Cuba as inevitable, he said, but will try to play a moderating role on the issue. Duarte confirmed that FM Celso Amorim plans to attend the OASGA. End summary. 

¶2. (C) Duarte and OAS chief Luciano Rego, both of whome will attend the OASGA, told Poloffs May 26 that, with almost all other resolutions finished, Cuba was the focus of the final week of preparation. Duarte hoped that some sort of Cuba resolution could be agreed prior to the OASGA start on June 2, so as to "avoid polarization." He said that Brazil was working in the Latin American Association for Integration (ALADI) to achieve a common position on language for a resolution regarding the lifting of the 1962 suspension of Cuba from the OAS, but he noted that some states wanted to be "more aggressive than others," and no consensus had been achieved yet within ALADI. 

¶3. (C) According to Duarte, U.S. ideas presented to OAS Ambassadors over thee past weekend allowed "scope for agreement" on a text before the OASGA. Duarte added that a recent letter from former President Carter and the Friends of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, had provided significant support to the views expressed by USG officials regarding the importance of respecting the IADC. 

¶4. (C) Noting the June 1 inauguration of new Salvadoran President Funes that will bring together a number of key regional leaders, including President Lula, Duarte said he understood that Paraguayan President Lugo and Nicaraguan President Ortega planned to attend the OASGA, as well. As a result, even agreement of a draft document this week would not guarantee the Cuba issue would not be reopened at the OASGA. Duarte said that Brazil will continue to try to play a moderating role in the discussions. 

¶5. (C) Duarte admitted that the GOB has received "unclear signs" from Cuba on the issue, with the formal government, often at odds with former President Fidel Castro. Nonetheless, it was clear that Cuba's entire focus was on ending the U.S. embargo, and that everything else was secondary. Despite the lack of enthusiasm from Havana, Duarte indicated that Brazil supports a resolution pointing toward Cuba's reintegration with the OAS. 

¶6. (C) When asked what issues from the recent Summit of the Americas (SOA) would be important for the OASGA, Duarte said that in the GOB's view, the two main issues from the SOA were not on the agenda: Cuba and the economic crisis. All other specific SOA issues were being worked out in their appropriate ways, although he noted that the Bolivarian Alternative (ALBA) countries were insisting on footnoting their disagreement with any resolution that mentioned the SOA declaration. In Duarte's view, the key objective for the OASGA was to "preserve the spirit and positive momentum" from the Summit, which he attributed to President Obama's positions and participation. Key to accomplishing this would be further symbolic progress on Cuba, rather than concrete steps on any of the concrete elements of the hemispheric agenda. 

¶7. (C) Comment: Brazil has made clear that it believes Cuba should be re-integrated into the inter-American system, but is genuinely committed to ensuring the issue does not become polemical at the OASGA. In discussing the Administration,s efforts to move forward on Cuba, it appeared that Duarte, like many of our Brazilian contacts, was unaware of the complex U.S. domestic dynamic that must be addressed. It will be important for GOB interlocutors to understand this dynamic as Brazil seeks to play a moderating role on Cuba. 

KUBISKE