Cablegate: Media Reaction - Criticism of Brazil's Role in Honduras

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DE RUEHSO #0571 2711434
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O 281434Z SEP 09
FM AMCONSUL SAO PAULO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9644
INFO RHEHNSC/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0778
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO PRIORITY 9264

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000571

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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 XM XR XF BR
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - Criticism of Brazil's Role in Honduras

"Who makes the decisions now is Uncle Chavez"

Editorial in Brazil's major magazine, with a weekly circulation of
1.23 million, stated that by transforming the Brazilian embassy into
ousted President Manuel Zelaya's headquarters Brazil has only served
Hugo Chavez' greed in the region. Veja compares the situation to
1965, when Brazil helped the U.S. military in the Dominican
Republic; now Brazil is "siding" with Uncle Chavez not with Uncle
Sam like it did before. It also questions what led the Brazilian
government to act in a supporting role of Chavista expansionism in
Latin America and says that the actions in Honduras are not in the
interest of the Brazilian people. "Supporting Zelaya does not mean
defending democracy. It means supporting Chavez' dictatorship." It
also says that working with Chavez to arrange Zelaya's return to
Honduras only served the electoral interests of President Lula's
party (PT).
WHITE

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