NO BRAZILIAN BROADCASTS OF AL-MANAR

S E C R E T BRASILIA 000593 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR S/CT - KUSHNER STATE FOR EB/ESC TREASURY FOR OFAC, TFI NSC FOR CRONIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2016 TAGS: PTER ASEC ETTC KPAO BR SUBJECT: NO BRAZILIAN BROADCASTS OF AL-MANAR REF: A) STATE 44261 B) BRASILIA 0049 Classified by Charge d'Affaires Patrick Linehan, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (S) Post delivered Ref A, paragraph 3 talking points to the Maria Luiza Lopes da Silva, the Foreign Ministry Deputy Coordinator for the Combat Against Illicit Transnational Activities, in a March 22 conversation. Silva had no substantive response. ¶2. (S) Alberto Milgewitz of the local Jewish community media monitoring organization "De Olho na Midia", told Emboff March 22 that his organization is certain that Al-Manar television is not broadcast by any cable companies or open broadcasters in Brazil. Post's own review of the published programming listings for cable companies in Sao Paulo and Foz de Iguacu did not turn up any listings for Al-Manar. ORA conducted a parallel check on Al-Manar broadcasts, which also proved negative. ¶3. (S) On the separate question of whether Amazonas satellite carries Al-Manar or Al-Nour, Leonardo Cubica, the marketing manager at the Rio de Janeiro office of Hispamar satellite company, a Brazilian joint venture with Spain's Hispasat, asserted to Emboff March 22 that neither his company's satellite (Amazonas-1) nor those belong to its Spanish parent, Hispasat, transmit Al-Manar TV or Al-Nour radio. ¶4. (S) Comment: At this time, it appears that Brazilian television and cable networks do not re-broadcast the Al-Manar signal, even if they have access to it. LINEHAN