Cablegate: Brazil: Ministry of External Relations On Shootdown

VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBR #1079 2211129
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 081129Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2246
INFO RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 6483
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 2578

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRASILIA 001079

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/BSC AND L

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2018
TAGS: BR MOPS PREL SNAR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS ON SHOOTDOWN

REF: A. BRASILIA 806
B. STATE 54183

Classified By: DCM Lisa Kubiske. REASON:1.5 (d)

1. (C) On August 5, POLMILOFF met with Ministry of External
Relations (MRE) Special Advisor Marcos Pinta Gama and
discussed U.S.-Brazil cooperation on shootdown-related
issues. (Note: Pinta Gama, a key embassy contact, is chief
of staff to Secretary General (vice minister) Samuel Pinheiro
Guimaraes, the MRE's senior point person on all pol-mil
issues, and MRE liaison with the Defense Ministry and
military. End note.) Pinta Gama expressed satisfaction with
working level contacts with U.S. agencies and said that he
believed exchanges of information were improving. He said
that one of the results of Defense Minister Jobim's visit to
Florida was better understanding of the advantages of greater
information sharing in the counternarcotics area and that the
GOB would be looking at ways to expand cooperation including
by sending additional personnel to JIATF-S in Key West.

2. (C) On Brazil's shootdown legislation, Pinta Gama stated
that Brazil has a strong policy in place to ensure that the
highest safety standards are enforced. He noted that Brazil
has never shot down a plane, but the policy's existence has
brought about a "significant" decrease in the use of
Brazilian airspace by drug traffickers. Pinta Gama believes
that Brazil's record of safe application of its shootdown
policy and air controller's familiarity with it makes any
shootdown unlikely.
SOBEL

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