Cablegate: Media Reaction: Un Climate Change Conference in Bali; Sao

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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSO #0978 3511151
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 171151Z DEC 07
FM AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7751
INFO RHEHNSC/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 8886
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO PRIORITY 8490
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 2987

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000978

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: UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE IN BALI; SAO
PAULO

"Bio-protectionism"

Liberal, largest national circulation daily Folha de S. Paulo
(12/17) editorialized: "In one of the many unproductive dialogues in
Bali, the US and the European Union presented a list of
environmental products, such as solar and wind energy equipment,
whose importation tariffs should be lowered. Brazilian foreign
Minister Celso Amorim was right to protest against the exclusion of
bio-fuels such as ethanol and bio-diesel from the list.... One
should not expect that the EU and the US, which impose a 63 percent
tariff on imports of Brazilian ethanol, would give up protecting
their inefficient bio-fuels production.... Although the
protectionist nature of the measure is obvious, it would be
innocuous to protest it. Social and environmental clauses are today
an irreversible trend in the international commodities market. To
fight them would place Brazil in the unsustainable position of
supporting the destruction of ecosystems on behalf of production, or
worse, on behalf of degrading labor conditions.... Something similar
can be said about the bio-protectionist measure being prepared in
Europe against imports of Brazilian beef... The allegation is
protectionist, of course, but it is also a fact that Brazil is still
far away from establishing a good sanitary control system of its
herds. Trade and environmental inconsistencies of both the US and
the EU should not be an excuse for Brazil to ignore its ecological
and sanitary deficiencies."
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