BRAZILIAN AND CHILEAN SENATORS AGREE TO PRESS

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000602 STATE FOR WHA/BSC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MARR MASS PREL BL CI SUBJECT: BRAZILIAN AND CHILEAN SENATORS AGREE TO PRESS GOVERNMENTS TO REDUCE LONG RUN PRESENCE IN HAITI ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Chilean and Brazilian Senators agreed during a meeting in Brazil on June 11-12 to urge their respective governments to take steps to diminish their military presence in MINUSTAH over the long run. They also discussed Chilean fruit exports to Brazil, emigration of Chilean and Brazilian citizens, and ways to fortify UNASUR. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) Brazilian and Chilean senators met in Brazil on June 11-12 to discuss the peacekeeping mission in Haiti, bilateral issues, and regional matters. The objectives of the meeting, at least from the Chilean senators' perspective, was to increase the exchange of information between legislators on important foreign policy issues affecting both countries. It followed with a vote by Chile's Congress to extend Chile's presence in MINUSTAH to June, 2009. ¶3. (SBU) Rodrigo Yanez, foreign and defense policy advisor senator to opposition and head of the Senate Defense Committee Sergo Romero, confirmed to Polof on June 16 that Senator Romero and his Brazilian counterpart support the UN mission in Haiti and believe Chile and Brazil should continue to contribute to it. However, they reportedly are concerned about their governments' "open-ended" commitment there. During the meeting, the two reportedly agreed to encourage their respective governments to urge the UN to shift its focus to civilian/police issues, and to encourage more non-Latin American nations to contribute forces to the mission. (NOTE: In exchange for its vote to extend Chile's presence in Haiti for one year, Chile's center-right opposition secured a commitment from the GOC that it would undertake such an approach. END NOTE.) URBAN