BRAZIL WELCOMES USG CANDIDACY FOR UN HUMAN RIGHTS

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000426 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL BR SUBJECT: BRAZIL WELCOMES USG CANDIDACY FOR UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL REF: SECSTATE 31175 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Brazil is pleased that the US will seek a seat on the UN Human Rights Council (reftel),but the director of the Human Rights Division in the Ministry of Exterior relations could not state whether Brazil will vote for the U.S. End summary. Pleased U.S. Is Coming Back - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶2. (SBU) Counselor Marcia Adorno, director of the Division of Human Rights in the Ministry of External Relations, told poloff that Brazil was pleased at the U.S.'s intention to return to the HRC and was certain our intention would be well-received at senior levels in the Ministry. She said Brazil's vote would be decided at a more senior level. She added that our presence on the Council would be helpful to its work. More Brazilian Representation in Geneva - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶3. (SBU) Adorno noted that Brazil recently increased its staffing in Geneva from two to five or six diplomats working on human rights, and installed a new ambassador to the UN in Geneva. (Note: This is Maria Nazareth Farani Azevedo, one half of a Foreign Ministry power couple, who was Foreign Minister Amorim's chief of staff before being named to Brazil's UN Mission in Geneva. Her husband, Roberto Azevedo, is Brazil's PermRep to the WTO. End note.) Brazil is trying to be more proactive on human rights, Adorno said, and cited the examples of voluntary contributions to the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Brazil's offers to help countries wishing to improve their human rights records, such as Burkina Faso, Haiti, and Guinea Bissau. Brazil's Mantra: Cooperation, not Confrontation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (SBU) Adorno repeated Brazil's standing policy of generally opposing country resolutions, while preferring a policy of cooperation as the most productive way to engage offending states. She said countries need to "improve negotiation" with those states and take a "more cooperative approach to violators." The Brazilian goal is to "bring a more constructive view" to the way countries engage on human rights. Asked what steps Brazil had taken or might take to engage North Korea or Burma, Adorno dodged the issue and said Brazil was waiting to see how cooperative North Korea would be with the Council and how it will receive its upcoming Universal Periodic Review. (Note: Scheduled for November 30-December 11, 2009. End note.) She claimed that the cooperative approach recently bore fruit when, shortly after the Special Rapporteur presented the report on Cuba, Cuba signed the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Adorno said, "This was a clear sign that the Government of Cuba seemed to want a more constructive approach, and Brazil doesn't see country resolutions as achieving positive results." KUBISKE