PSI: URGING BRAZILIAN PARTICIPATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 000046 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/05/2017 TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM EWWT PHSA PO SUBJECT: PSI: URGING BRAZILIAN PARTICIPATION REF: SECSTATE 203802 Classified By: Dana M. Brown, Pol-Econ Officer, Embassy Lisbon Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Emboff notified MFA Director for Security and Disarmament Joao Corte-Real about the U.S. interest in including Brazil in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) community by engaging in a direct dialog through our Embassy in Brasilia. Portugal would welcome Brazil's inclusion, according to Corte-Real, and had been attempting to push Brazil in that direction for more than three years. He described Portugal's ongoing outreach efforts to Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking nations to include them on PSI and concluded that Brazilian officials had made it clear in 2004 and 2005 that they were not interested in PSI at that time. ¶2. (C) Corte-Real's Deputy Director, Pedro Sousa Abreu credited the perceived 2005 apathy to a military/diplomatic divide and disinterest by the Luis Ignagcio Lula da Silva Administration. Sousa Abreu mentioned that Portugal had offered briefings and familiarization programs and then invited several Brazilian observers during PSI exercise "Ninfa" in 2005. Although the observers had been interested in the program, the GOB did not want to continue discussions further. He suggested that a joint approach to the Brazilians similar to U.S., Portugal, Germany discussions with Brazil in 2004, had the greatest potential for success especially if the group included non-aligned nations or other southern hemisphere powers. ¶3. (C) Comment: While Portugal supports PSI, both men were dubious that Brazil would be interested in more than just talk while Lula is in charge. End comment. O'Neal