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05BRASILIA1396 | |
BRAZIL DECLINES GUANTANAMO MIGRANTS | |
Tue May 24 00:00:00 +0200 2005 | |
CONFIDENTIAL | |
Embassy Brasilia | |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.C O N F I D E N T I A L BRASILIA 001396 | |
SIPDIS | |
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/24/2015 | |
TAGS: PREF SMIG BR US | |
SUBJECT: BRAZIL DECLINES GUANTANAMO MIGRANTS | |
REF: A. 04 STATE 305348 | |
¶B. 04 STATE 139422 | |
¶C. 04 BRASILIA 633 | |
¶D. STATE 86436 | |
Classified By: POLOFF BISOLA OJIKUTU FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D | |
¶1. (U) On May 20, PolOff delivered reftel and talking points | |
to Brazil's Ministry of External Relations (MRE) | |
International Organizations Division (DOI) and the Human | |
Rights Divisions (DDH). PolOff also delivered reftel talking | |
points to UNHCR representative in Brasilia Luis Varese. | |
PolOff's requests for a meeting with the Brazilian National | |
Committee for Refugees (CONARE) were refused because CONARE's | |
position has not changed since reftels A through D. | |
¶2. (C) Officials from DDH, DOI, and UNHCR confirmed that the | |
GOB's position regarding this issue has not changed since | |
2003 and will likely not change in the foreseeable future. | |
The GOB still contends that it cannot accept Guantanamo | |
migrants because it is illegal to designate someone not on | |
Brazilian soil a refugee. Despite multiple requests, PolOff | |
did not receive a response regarding the USG's offer to pay | |
for transportation for GOB resettlement officials to travel | |
to Guantanamo. (Comment: Based upon Brazilian legislation | |
and CONARE's strong stance against the USG's proposal, PolOff | |
does not believe that the GOB will accept this arrangement. | |
End Comment) | |
¶3. (C) DDH Office Director Marcia Ramos told PolOff that the | |
GOB's close relationship with the Cuban government would make | |
it impossible for the GOB to accept Cuban refugees. When | |
PolOff asked if the GOB would consider accepting Haitian | |
migrants only, Ramos said that due to Brazilian legislation, | |
the GOB could not accept any migrants from Guantanamo Bay. | |
¶4. (C) UNHCR representative Luis Varese was more forthcoming | |
in providing concrete answers to explain the GOB's position. | |
(Note: Varese is a CONARE member and has one vote on the | |
board. End note.) Varese told PolOff that refugee status in | |
Brazil is usually granted after the refugee has been | |
recognized by the host country (in this case, the U.S.). | |
According to Varese, the GOB and CONARE believe that the | |
migrants at Guantanamo Bay do not fit into this category | |
because the USG has not "formally recognized" them as | |
refugees. If they were formally recognized, CONARE believes, | |
the USG would allow them to resettle in the U.S. so | |
resettlement would not be an issue. Varese told PolOff that | |
the "formal recognition" issue caused the GOB to reject the | |
USG's proposal in 2003. He also told PolOff that CONARE's | |
position would "probably not change" in the future. | |
Comment | |
------- | |
¶5. (C) All attempts to discuss this issue with GOB and CONARE | |
officials were flatly refused or accepted begrudgingly. In | |
addition, this issue has been raised on numerous occasions | |
and at a variety of levels, including U/S Grossman, since | |
¶2003. Given Brazilian legislation and Varese's comments, it | |
does not appear that CONARE or the GOB will change their | |
position on this issue. | |
DANILOVICH |