Cablegate: Media Reaction: Western Hemisphere: Brazil, Lula's Second

VZCZCXYZ0011
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSO #1268 3521258
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 181258Z DEC 06 ZDK
FM AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6168
INFO RHEHNSC/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 7259
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO PRIORITY 7661
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 2657

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 001268

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE INR/R/MR; IIP/R/MR; WHA/PD

DEPT PASS USTR

USDOC 4322/MAC/OLAC/JAFEE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR OPRC OIIP ETRD BR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: WESTERN HEMISPHERE: BRAZIL, LULA'S SECOND
TERM; SAO PAULO

"Personal Diplomacy"

The lead editorial in center-right O Estado de S. Paulo (12/15)
maintained: "Personal diplomacy, when directly conducted by the
President in contact with other chiefs of state and government, may
be a powerful and worthwhile foreign policy tool.... When the
presidential diplomacy only reflects the chief of the government's
interests or idiosyncrasies or those of the group advising him, then
the result is almost always disastrous. President Lula had the best
conditions to perform an efficient personal diplomacy.... But after
four years, what we have is a foreign policy tied to old fashioned
concepts. They are remnants of old misconceptions and formulas that
remind one to the climate of confrontation between blocs that was
typical of the cold War and has no justification in the
globalization era. Such a foreign policy was drafted in accordance
with the peculiar way President Lula and his close advisors -
concerned in carrying out a foreign policy independent from the US
and the EU - see the world.... President Lula is too reverent and
subject to humiliations imposed by Colonel Hugo Chvez, who is the
self-proclaimed successor of Fidel Castro as the leader in the fight
against American imperialism.... Last week, the wish of not
displeasing African nations and not giving the impression of
alignment with the European nations led Brazilian diplomacy to
assume a shameful posture at the UN Human Rights Council examining
the situation in Darfur.... Looking for reciprocity, which in this
case is expected to become trade in the areas of oil and sugar, the
GOB not only separated from the Western nations, but got distanced
itself from decency."
Wolfe

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