Cable from Brazilian Foreign Ministry to Embassy in Washington, 'Brazil-USA. Access to advanced technology. High level mission. General evaluation.'

CONFIDENTIAL- URGENT

To: Embassy in Washington

DCIA/DMAE/DNU/DCS/SINEX

No. 01C0144-00836

Classification: ETEC L00 G14     

                            ETND- L00-G14

Date: 05/06/92

Brazil-USA. Access to advanced

technology. High level mission.

General evaluation.

Ref your cable739. I thank you for the valuable subsidies sent by Your Excellency for the preparation of the high level mission from the USA headed by Undersecretary Reginald Bartholomew. The mission was in Brasilia on the 29^th past and followed the agenda contained in the cable in reference. Batholomew also had interviews with me, with Minister Goldenberg and with Secretaries Helio Jaguaribe and Eliezer Batista.

2. The American delegation handed abundant documentation on several issues on the agenda which I shall transmit together with an evaluation cable on the following points: International Center on Science and Technology, Nuclear matters, Tlatelolco, Understandings on Strategic Trade, Chemical Weapons, UNDC, initiatives of the USA at OAS, MTCR, Supercomputers and Conventional Weapons.

3. The talks were held in a highly positive atmosphere, which reflects the new level attained in the bilateral relationship with the USA in this sensitive area. Both sides acknowledged the existence of important coincidences in “virtually all areas” in Batholomew’s words. The most delicate point, possibly, will be the relationship of MTCR and the Brazilian space programs. Nevertheless, the process of confidence building in which we are engaged has probably been considerably successful.   

5. It is necessary that the understanding be now reflected more concretely in the form of specific benefits. For that, the Brazilian side will have to implement the measures already proposed by the Executive, in particular the ratification of the safeguards agreement with the IAEA and the compatibility of the Brazilian system of control of sensitive exports with international standards, which depends, to a large extent, on the approval by the Congress of the draft bill on sensitive goods. In order to formalize the arrangements and the compensations that will have to be accorded the United States suggested an exchange of letters, of a more flexible and less formal character than the memorandum of understanding they had previously proposed.

7 (sic). For the next few months an intense effort of dialogue and negotiation can be foreseen, including on aspects of a technical nature (export control systems, nuclear and spatial cooperation, supercomputers, etc.). In this connection a trilateral technical meeting has already been preliminarily agreed for the end of September or beginning of October.

8. I am sending by fax the text of my opening intervention, as well as the press note published at the end of the meeting.  

EXTERIORES