MEDIA REACTION: FX-2 JET FIGHTER BID

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000004 SIPDIS STATE INR/R/MR IIP/R/MR WHA/PD DEPT PASS USTR 4322/MAC/OLAC/JAFEE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC OIIP BR XM XR KMDR SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: FX-2 JET FIGHTER BID "Presidential Turbulence" Editorial in center-right O Estado de S. Paulo (1-6) says: ".... [President] Lula committed Brazil to France based on a personal choice whose motives are questionable. He just forgot to reach common ground with the military.....the idea that the Rafale is indispensable to the strategic partnership between France and Brazil is unsustainable, because this partnership has already been established by the submarine deal....postponing the decision is likely to be less onerous for Lula, but this would mean leaving Brazil's jet fighter fleet obsolete for any type of aerial combat. ...." "Putting the Cart before the Horse" Editorial in liberal Folha de S. Paulo (1-6) notes: ".....announcing the preference for the French model when the bid was still underway was not only disrespectful but a lousy way of trying to reduce the price......Maybe Brazil will acquire more knowledge, profits and technology by choosing the French option, but it may be dangerously dependent on the whims of French government. The debate in these terms is legitimate and there are good arguments on both sides. But any decision cannot be made without a rigorous technical evaluation." White