MEDIA REACTION: WESTERN HEMISPHERE: HONDURAS, COUP; GLOBAL

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000396 SIPDIS 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: WESTERN HEMISPHERE: HONDURAS, COUP; GLOBAL ECONOMY: FINANCIAL MARKET CRISIS; IMF; CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT; SAO PAULO July 7, 2009 Title- Alliance for Change Op-ed inliberal Folha de S. Paulo (7-7) co-authored by Preidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Nicolas Sarkozy states: "...International financial institutions, like the IMF and the World Bank, need to gie more weight to the more dynamic emerging economes during their decisionmaking processes. The decisions made at the [lat] G20 summit should also be put into practice..... The threat of protectinism gathered new force with the crisis. WTO's Dha Round Trade talk conclsion is an urgent task in order to reach an ambiious, ample and balanced deal that can benefit developing countries above all.... so that it strengthens commercial multilateralism....An extensive pocess to change the United Nations Security Council in order to ensure a more balanced and comprehensive international order should be discussed.....Other challenges also threaten peace and development. Climate change imposes an enormous test on global governance...... Other global challenges include organized and transnational crime; terrorism; drug and people trafficking; pandemics and food security....Brazil and France want to offer to the world its joint view of a new multilateralism, adapted to a multi-polar world. We cannot deal with the problems of the 21st century with institutions that are a legacy of the 20th century. Together with other world leaders we need to forge an 'Alliance for Change'....." Title- Obama Government playing dead; Brazil should act Op-ed in liberal Folha de S. Paulo (7-7) by Folha's columnist Marcos Nobre notes: "...We don't see Brazil seeking a negotiated solution for the conflict [in Honduras]. And the reason is simple: Brazil is not doing anything because it believes that the U.S. recovered its place as the uncontested leader of the Americas...This may be true on the whole but not in the case of Honduras. Obama's government may say that it decided to take a prudent stance and that it sought to reinforce the OAS's institutional role, but the fact is that it decided to play dead......By entering directly in the conflict the U.S. could be accused of abusing its military and economic power against a small banana republic. If it sticks to its dubious stance, it may be considered an opportunist that doesn't truly defend democracy......The tardy and irrelevant OAS strategy of ultimatums is wasted. A confrontation is imminent. And Obama's government simply washed its hands [of the situation]. And it is exactly at this point, with a lack of action by the U.S. administration, that Brazil should reappear and show why it is there...." POPP