Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register

Search

 

Cablegate: Brazil: Resignation of Defense Minister Viegas

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 002763

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2014
TAGS: PREL MARR BR POL MIL
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: RESIGNATION OF DEFENSE MINISTER VIEGAS

REF: BRASILIA 2684

Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR DENNIS HEARNE. REASON: 1.4
(B)(D)

1. (C) Summary. Brazilian Minister of Defense Jose Viegas has
presented his letter of resignation to President Lula da
Silva, according to a 4 November Defense Ministry
announcement. Vice President Jose Alencar will formally take
over the defense ministry portfolio on 8 November (Minister
Viegas retains authority until that date). A senior MOD
official confirmed that the resignation came as a result of
months of tensions and disagreements between Viegas and
senior military commanders over military pensions and other
institutional problems, culminating in the recent Herzog case
(see reftel), in which senior army officials had not cleared
with Viegas a controversial communiqu concerning human
rights abuses during Brazil's military era. Viegas has been
an effective interlocutor with the USG on key issues, notably
implementation of Brazil's air bridge denial (shootdown)
program against aerial narcotrafficking. Mission does not
view this development as an indication that Brazil's armed
forces are restive and challenging civilian authority, even
though Viegas' tenure will not be remembered for reinforcing
the stature and effectiveness of the civilian MOD. It also
remains to be seen how his successor will handle challenging
issues, such as shootdown, Brazil's leadership of MINUSTAH in
Haiti or complex civil aviation matters. End summary.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

2. (U) Brazilian Minister of Defense Jose Viegas has
presented his letter of resignation to President Lula da
Silva, according to a 4 November Defense Ministry
announcement. Vice President Jose Alencar will formally take
over the defense ministry portfolio on 8 November, while
retaining his duties as vice president. No official reason
was offered for the resignation in the announcement, but
there has been media speculation for several months that
Viegas might depart the ministry soon after Brazil's October
municipal elections.

3. (C) PolCouns spoke on 4 November with Fernando Abreu,
Viegas' chief of staff. Abreu confirmed that Viegas' recent
embarrassment in the Herzog case (see reftel) had been the
"gota da agua" ("last drop of water," a Portuguese colloquial
equivalent for "straw that broke the camel's back"),
following months of tensions and disagreements between Viegas
and senior military commanders over military pensions,
budgets and other institutional problems. In the Herzog case,
the release of a truculent communiqu by the Brazilian army
that appeared to justify human rights abuses during the
military era in Brazil, and which had not been cleared by
Viegas, pointed up his continued difficulty in establishing
coordination and authority with the armed services. Abreu
told PolCouns that the army commander, with whom Viegas has
had previous difficulties, should have resigned "as a matter
of honor," and that his continuation as force commander made
Viegas' remaining as minister unviable.

4. (C) Abreu said that the appointment of Alencar is "a good
solution" and he opined that Alencar may retain the defense
portfolio indefinitely (but see para 7 below). He did not
know whether Alencar would physically spend most of his time
at the MOD or in the vice presidency. Abreu also confirmed
speculation that Viegas, a career diplomat, would be posted
as Brazil's Ambassador in Madrid once the GOB receives
agrement.

5. (C) During the transition period, Abreu said it is
possible that Viegas, working out of the foreign ministry,
may be available to work with the USG on resolving the final
issues in the bilateral effort to revise the 2000 Brazil-U.S.
Technology Safeguards Agreement on participation of U.S.
firms in commercial space launches at Brazil's Alcantara
spaceport. Abreu and PolCouns agreed that the issue is
well-advanced with good potential for a successful
resolution,

6. (C) During a lunch at the Ambassador's residence on 4
November, PolCouns also discussed Viegas' resignation with
Aldo Rebelo, Lula's Minister for Political Coordination.
Rebelo opined that the Viegas resignation "had been
predictable for some time" owing to the tensions between the
minister and the senior levels of the armed forces. Rebelo
said that Viegas had "performed admirably" in many of his
duties, and he noted specifically Viegas' successful effort
with the USG on the shootdown issue.

7. (C) But Rebelo, who was formerly chair of the foreign
affairs and defense committee in Brazil's chamber of
deputies, said Viegas' tenure as DefMin had personified "a
clash of cultures" between two of Brazil's oldest
institutions -- its foreign ministry and its armed forces.
Rebelo said military officers had told him that Viegas,
trained as a diplomat "to listen, negotiate and compromise,"
was out of step with military services that expect their
senior leader "to issue orders and get results." Rebelo said
the problem is not one of lack of respect in the military for
civilian authority, but rather the military's preference in
its civilian minister for a political figure capable of
engaging with congress and the treasury to secure funding and
protect perogatives. Unlike Abreu, Rebelo opined that
Alencar's assumption of the defense portfolio "could be only
temporary." Rebelo has often been named as a possible
replacement for Viegas, but Rebelo denied that possibility to
PolCouns, saying such speculation is "media exaggeration."

8. (C) Comment. Viegas has been an effective and reliable
interlocutor for the Mission and the USG on key policy issues
in his broad area of responsibility, and he has been
especially valuable in working with us on shootdown and
Alcantara. Alencar, a likable and successful businessman,
has not been especially distinguished as vice president, has
no known experience with military matters, and does not
strike us as having either the intellectual or diplomatic
skills of Viegas. It remains to be seen how he will handle
challenging issues, such as shootdown, Brazil's leadership of
MINUSTAH in Haiti or complex civil aviation matters that fall
in the purview of the defense ministry. However,his position
as vice president and political saavy may make him an
appealing choice, or at least a neutral one, in the armed
forces' view. We do not see this development as an
indication that Brazil's armed forces are restive and
challenging civilian authority. On the contrary, today's
Brazilian military is thoroughly apolitical. Nonetheless,
the civilian ministry remains small and anemic compared to
the armed services it ostensibly governs, and the Viegas era
-- despite its accomplishments -- will not be remembered for
reinforcing the institutional stature and effectiveness of
the civilian MOD.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
World Headlines

 
UN News: Aid Access Is Key Priority

Among the key issues facing diplomats is securing the release of a reported 199 Israeli hostages, seized during the Hamas raid. “History is watching,” says Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths. “This war was started by taking those hostages. Of course, there's a history between Palestinian people and the Israeli people, and I'm not denying any of that. But that act alone lit a fire, which can only be put out with the release of those hostages.” More


Save The Children: Four Earthquakes In a Week Leave Thousands Homeless

Families in western Afghanistan are reeling after a fourth earthquake hit Herat Province, crumbling buildings and forcing people to flee once again, with thousands now living in tents exposed to fierce winds and dust storms. The latest 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit 30 km outside of Herat on Sunday, shattering communities still reeling from strong and shallow aftershocks. More

UN News: Nowhere To Go In Gaza

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said some 1.1M people would be expected to leave northern Gaza and that such a movement would be “impossible” without devastating humanitarian consequences and appeals for the order to be rescinded. The WHO joined the call for Israel to rescind the relocation order, which amounted to a “death sentence” for many. More


Access Now: Telecom Blackout In Gaza An Attack On Human Rights

By October 10, reports indicated that fixed-line internet, mobile data, SMS, telephone, and TV networks are all seriously compromised. With significant and increasing damage to the electrical grid, orders by the Israeli Ministry of Energy to stop supplying electricity and the last remaining power station now out of fuel, many are no longer able to charge devices that are essential to communicate and access information. More

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.