VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBR #0055/01 0492147
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 182147Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0502
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO

CC O N F I D E N T I A L BRASILIA 000055

SIPDIS
STATE FOR HAITI TASK FORCE, WHA, S/CT
AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PASS TO AMCONSUL RECIFE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/18
TAGS: EAID PREL PTER SNAR ASEC BR BL HA DHS KOLY
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES SECURITY, CN, AND UPCOMING
GAMES WITH GSI MINISTER FELIX

CLASSIFIED BY: Thomas Shannon, Ambassador, State; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)

¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Institutional Security Office (GSI) Minister
General Jorge Felix shared with Ambassador Shannon on February 9
Brazil's top security concerns, which include: assistance and
cooperation in Haiti; increased drug trafficking in the region and
consumption in Brazil; and security for the four upcoming sporting
events to be hosted by Brazil, to include the 2014 World Cup and
2016 Olympics. Felix encouraged deepening the existing partnership
between Brazil and the U.S. on providing assistance to Haiti. He
expressed his concerns with the difficulties Brazil is experiencing
in counternarcotics efforts in the region, particularly with
Bolivia. Felix candidly told the Ambassador that terrorism and
drugs are constant security worries for Brazil, and said Brazil
will look for intelligence sharing during the 2011-2016 sporting
events. END SUMMARY.



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LOOKING TO ENHANCE POSITIVE PARTNERSHIP ON HAITI

--------------------------------



¶2. (C) Ambassador Shannon on February 9 met with the Institutional
Security Office Chief, General Jorge Felix, Deputy General Geromel,
and Secretary General Fernando de Lima Santos. Ambassador Shannon
thanked Felix for Brazil's long-term work in Haiti and MINUSTAH and
for its post-earthquake assistance and partnership with U.S. forces
on the ground. Ambassador Shannon also highlighted the new
opportunity presented in Haiti for Brazil, the United States, and
the UN to work together. Felix said that Brazil's history and
experience with Haiti has helped in providing emergency assistance.
However, assisting Haiti is a challenge too great for just a few
countries to handle. Felix explained that Brazil's permanent
assistance to Haiti over the years has not improved the situation
on the ground. While security has improved in Haiti, assistance has
not taken Haitians out of the misery they live in. The next phase
of assistance to Haiti needs to focus on helping Haitians provide
for themselves, said Felix; we need to "teach them to fish instead
of giving them the fish." Felix explained that what has been coined
in the media as President Lula's "Bolsa Haiti" is actually a series
of projects that were implemented or planned by Brazil to promote
development in Haiti.



¶3. (C) Felix stated that Brazil's next steps on Haiti include the
Haiti Donors meeting. Brazil will bring its proposals to the
meeting but Felix emphasized the need for partnership with the U.S.
and active participation and commitment by the Haitian government
to successfully assist Haiti. Felix also confirmed that Lula will
be traveling to Haiti on February 25 to present Brazil's proposals
to the Haitian government. The Ambassador highlighted the
importance of coordinating our actions and understandings in the
run-up to the donors conference. Felix agreed and added that it
would be very useful if Brazil and the U.S. show up at the Haiti
Donors meeting with coordinated ideas. Felix closed his comments on
Haiti by recalling that he has been to Haiti several times and at
every departure he leaves his hope for Haiti behind. The situation
in Haiti, he said, is too difficult to improve, "but we have to
try."



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GSI LISTS ITS TOP SECURITY CONCERNS

--------------------------------



¶4. (C) Felix reciprocated the Ambassador's willingness to
cooperate, especially on security issues, adding that GSI "wants to
be part of the solution, not the problem." Felix explained that
there are many areas of great interest to GSI that could be better
addressed with a deeper partnership with the United States,
including critical infrastructure protection, information security,
and the constant problems of terrorism and drugs. Felix noted that


critical infrastructure protection is something they should likely
discuss with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and
information security, which is now a top concern for most
countries, is an issue he would like to better address by getting
Brazilian and U.S. technical folks together and by deepening
relationships with private U.S. firms that have successfully dealt
with cyber threats.



--------------------------------

BOLIVIA AND COUNTERNARCOTICS

--------------------------------



¶5. (C) The Ambassador noted that organized crime and drugs is also
a great security concern for the United States. Political changes
in the region, however, had complicated traditional U.S.
cooperation programs. In this kind of environment, the Ambassador
said, cooperation with Brazil was more important than ever. Felix
described Brazil's difficult experiences with Bolivia and
emphasized the importance of addressing the issue of organized
crime and the drug trade in Latin America. Felix explained that
Bolivian cocaine, coca paste, and crack are low in quality and
cheap-therefore unacceptable for sale in the United States and
Europe-and have instead infiltrated Brazil. This has led to an
explosive increase in consumption among Brazilians, which also
coincided with the increase of coca cultivation in Bolivia. Brazil
shares a 3,400 km border with Bolivia, Felix said, which makes
monitoring almost impossible, especially because traffickers
frequently change their drug routes. Now that the Brazilian
government has been able to decrease the number of drug flights
from Bolivia, by increased monitoring, there has been a noticeable
increase in trafficking via vehicles.



¶6. (C) Felix complained about how hard it is to work with other
countries in the region on counternarcotics. He told the

Ambassador, "You saw how difficult it is to work with Bolivia," and
explained that Bolivia's complex and unique history has led it to
the transition it is still experiencing today, and "no one knows
where the transition will take them." Felix said Brazil has tried
to work with Bolivia on several issues. According to Felix, after
Bolivia expelled DEA, the GOB wanted Brazil to step in, even
substitute, the role the United States had played in
counternarcotics efforts. But in practice cooperation did not
work. Felix explained that, although Brazil had had greater
influence in Bolivia in the past, the relationship had matured and
Brazil now has to negotiate more with Bolivia.



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UPCOMING EVENTS AND GAMES

--------------------------------



¶7. (C) Felix also listed the four upcoming sporting events Brazil
will host as top security challenges to tackle. Felix noted that
while most attention is being paid to the 2014 World Cup and 2016
Olympics, Brazil will also first host the Military World Games in
2011 and the Confederations Cup (a soccer tournament organized by
FIFA) in 2013; these smaller events, Felix remarked, will help
prepare Brazil for the larger 2014 and 2016 competitions. Felix
said Brazil will make intelligence-sharing among the countries
participating in the events a priority. He noted that Brazil had
already experienced successful intelligence sharing during the 2007
Pan American Games-hosted by Rio de Janeiro-and that they plan on
doing the same for the upcoming events but on a larger scale. Felix
concluded that "we very much need cooperation with the United
States and other games participants" to ensure successful and safe
celebrations. (Comment: The intelligence sharing during the 2007
Pan American Games was a lopsided arrangement. The USG provided
extensive resources and information to the Brazilian hosts, yet


received no information beyond what was shared with all other
nations participating in the Games. End comment.)

MINIMIZE CONSIDERED
SHANNON