Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 20197 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden 00. Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Jordan Yemen Thailand

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03 2011/04 2011/05 2011/06 2011/07 2011/08
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14 2011/03/15 2011/03/16 2011/03/17 2011/03/18 2011/03/19 2011/03/20 2011/03/21 2011/03/22 2011/03/23 2011/03/24 2011/03/25 2011/03/26 2011/03/27 2011/03/28 2011/03/29 2011/03/30 2011/03/31
2011/04/01 2011/04/02 2011/04/03 2011/04/04 2011/04/05 2011/04/06 2011/04/07 2011/04/08 2011/04/09 2011/04/10 2011/04/11 2011/04/12 2011/04/13 2011/04/14 2011/04/15 2011/04/16 2011/04/17 2011/04/18 2011/04/19 2011/04/20 2011/04/21 2011/04/22 2011/04/23 2011/04/24 2011/04/25 2011/04/26 2011/04/27 2011/04/28 2011/04/29 2011/04/30
2011/05/01 2011/05/02 2011/05/03 2011/05/04 2011/05/05 2011/05/06 2011/05/07 2011/05/08 2011/05/09 2011/05/10 2011/05/11 2011/05/12 2011/05/13 2011/05/14 2011/05/15 2011/05/16 2011/05/17 2011/05/18 2011/05/19 2011/05/20 2011/05/21 2011/05/22 2011/05/23 2011/05/24 2011/05/25 2011/05/26 2011/05/27 2011/05/28 2011/05/29 2011/05/30 2011/05/31
2011/06/01 2011/06/02 2011/06/03 2011/06/04 2011/06/05 2011/06/06 2011/06/07 2011/06/08 2011/06/09 2011/06/10 2011/06/11 2011/06/12 2011/06/13 2011/06/14 2011/06/15 2011/06/16 2011/06/17 2011/06/18 2011/06/19 2011/06/20 2011/06/21 2011/06/22 2011/06/23 2011/06/24 2011/06/25 2011/06/26 2011/06/27 2011/06/28 2011/06/29 2011/06/30
2011/07/01 2011/07/02 2011/07/04 2011/07/05 2011/07/06 2011/07/07 2011/07/08 2011/07/10 2011/07/11 2011/07/12 2011/07/13 2011/07/14 2011/07/15 2011/07/16 2011/07/17 2011/07/18 2011/07/19 2011/07/20 2011/07/21 2011/07/22 2011/07/23 2011/07/25 2011/07/27 2011/07/28 2011/07/29 2011/07/31
2011/08/01 2011/08/02 2011/08/03 2011/08/05 2011/08/06 2011/08/07 2011/08/08 2011/08/09 2011/08/10 2011/08/11 2011/08/12 2011/08/13 2011/08/15 2011/08/16 2011/08/17 2011/08/18 2011/08/19

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1985/03 1985/05 1985/06
1986/05 1986/08 1986/12
1987/06
1988/01 1988/03 1988/04 1988/07 1988/08 1988/12
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
1991/05 1991/07 1991/11
1992/01 1992/03 1992/06 1992/09 1992/11 1992/12
1993/01 1993/02 1993/10
1994/11 1994/12
1995/01 1995/04 1995/06 1995/11
1996/07 1996/09 1996/11
1997/02 1997/03 1997/05 1997/06 1997/08 1997/10 1997/12
1998/05 1998/12
1999/01 1999/09
2000/05 2000/06 2000/09 2000/11 2000/12
2001/02 2001/03 2001/04 2001/05 2001/06 2001/07 2001/09 2001/10 2001/11 2001/12
2002/01 2002/02 2002/03 2002/04 2002/06 2002/07 2002/08 2002/09 2002/11 2002/12
2003/01 2003/02 2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Apia Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Auckland Consulate Amsterdam Consulate Adana American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belmopan Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Belfast Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Ciudad Juarez Consulate Chiang Mai Consulate Chennai Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dili Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai Consulate Dhahran
Embassy Freetown Consulate Fukuoka
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guayaquil Consulate Guangzhou Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hong Kong Consulate Ho Chi Minh City Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamilton Consulate Hamburg Consulate Halifax
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kingston Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kathmandu Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul Consulate Kolkata Consulate Karachi
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy Libreville Embassy La Paz Consulate Lahore Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE Mission USNATO Mission UNESCO Mission Geneva Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maseru Embassy Maputo Embassy Manila Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Mumbai Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan Consulate Melbourne Consulate Matamoros
Embassy Nicosia Embassy Niamey Embassy New Delhi Embassy Ndjamena Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Nuevo Laredo Consulate Naples Consulate Naha Consulate Nagoya
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Of Spain Embassy Port Louis Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito Consulate Quebec
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Suva Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate St Petersburg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sapporo Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn Consulate Toronto Consulate Tijuana Consulate Thessaloniki
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Office Almaty US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE UN Rome Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vientiane Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Embassy Valletta Consulate Vladivostok Consulate Vancouver
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ASEC AEMR AMGT AR APECO AU AORC AJ AF AFIN AS AM ABLD AFFAIRS AMB APER AA AE ADM ATRN ACOA AID AY AG ALOW AND ABUD AMED ASPA AL APEC ADPM ADANA AFSI ARABL ADCO ANARCHISTS AZ ANET AMEDCASCKFLO AADP AO AGRICULTURE AINT ACABQ APRC ASEAN ARF AFSN AFSA AORG AINR AINF AODE ARCH APCS AROC AGAO ASUP ADB AX AMEX ARM AQ ATFN AMBASSADOR ARAS ACBAQ AC AOPR AREP ASIG ASEX AER AVERY ASCH AEMRS AFU AMG ATPDEA ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AORL AN AIT AGMT ACS AGR AMCHAMS AECL AUC AFGHANISTAN ACAO
BR BB BG BEXP BY BA BRUSSELS BU BD BK BL BE BO BTIO BH BM BAIO BUSH BRPA BILAT BF BX BOL BMGT BC BIDEN BP BBG BBSR BT BWC BEXPC BN BTIU
CPAS CA CASC CS CBW CIDA CO CODEL CI CROS CU CH CWC CMGT CVIS CDG CG CF CHIEF CJAN CBSA CE CY CB CW CM CHR CD CT CDC CONS CAMBODIA CN CR COUNTRY CONDOLEEZZA CEN CZ CARICOM COM CICTE CYPRUS CACS CBE COE CIVS CFED COUNTER CTR CARSON COPUOS CAPC CV CITES CKGR CVR CLINTON COUNTERTERRORISM CITEL CLEARANCE CSW CIC CITT CARIB CAFTA CACM CDB CJUS CTM CAN CAJC CONSULAR CLMT CBC CIA CNARC CIS CEUDA CHINA CAC CL
DR DJ DB DHS DAO DCM DO DEFENSE DA DK DOMESTIC DISENGAGEMENT DOD DOT DE DPRK DEPT DEA DOE DTRA DS DEAX
ECON ETTC EFIS ETRD EC EMIN EAGR EAID EU EFIN EUN ECIN EG EWWT EINV ENRG ELAB EPET EN EAIR EUMEM ECPS ELTN EIND EZ EI ER ET EINT ECONOMIC ENIV EFTA ES EET ENV EAG ECONOMY ELECTIONS ESTH ETRO ECIP EPEC EXIM ENERG ECCT EREL EK EDEV ERNG ENGY EPA ECLAC ETRAD ELAP ELTNSNAR ENGR ETRC EUREM EEB EETC ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS ENVI ECOSOC EXTERNAL ELN EAIDS EDU EPREL EAGER EINVEFIN ECA EFINECONCS EIDN EINVKSCA ETC ENVR EAP EINN EXBS ECONOMICS EIAR EINDETRD ECONEFIN EURN ETRDEINVTINTCS EFIM EINVETC ECONCS EDRC ENRD EBRD ETRA ESA EAIG EUR EUC ERD ETRN EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ESENV ENNP ECINECONCS ETRDECONWTOCS ECUN
FR FI FOREIGN FAO FARC FAS FREEDOM FINANCE FBI FTAA FCS FAA FJ FTA FK FT FAC FDA FM FINR FOR FOI FO FMLN FISO
GM GERARD GT GA GG GR GTIP GE GH GY GJ GB GLOBAL GEORGE GCC GC GV GAZA GL GOV GOI GF GTMO GANGS GAERC GZ GUILLERMO GASPAR
HR HA HYMPSK HO HK HUMAN HN HUD HU HURI HILLARY HI HUM HSTC HEBRON HUMOR
IZ IN IAEA IS IMO ILO IR IC IT ITU IV IMF IBRD IWC IPR IDB IRAQI ISRAELI ITALY ITPGOV ITALIAN IADB ID ICAO ICRC INR ICJ IFAD IO IAHRC IRAQ INL INMARSAT INTELSAT INRA INTERNAL ILC ITRA IRS INDO IIP ISCON IEFIN IQ ICTY IA INTERPOL IEA INRB ISRAEL IZPREL IRAJ IF ITPHUM IL IACI IDA ISLAMISTS IGAD ITF INRO IBET IDP ICTR IRC
JA JO JM JP JOHN JUS JAMES JOSEPH JOHNNIE JML JIMENEZ
KNNP KFLO KDEM KOMC KSUM KIPR KFLU KPAO KE KCRM KJUS KAWC KZ KSCA KDRG KCOR KGHG KPAL KTIP KMCA KCRS KPKO KOLY KRVC KVPR KG KWBG KMDR KTER KSPR KV KTFN KWMN KFRD KSTH KS KN KISL KGIC KSEP KFIN KTEX KTIA KUNR KCMR KMOC KCIP KTDB KBIO KSAF KU KHIV KNNNP KSTC KNUP KIRF KIRC KNUC KIDE KHLS KTDD KMPI KSEO KSCS KIVP KICC KCFE KGLB KPWR KR KCOM KESS KWN KCSY KREL KRFD KPOL KBCT KOCI KHUM KREC KICCPUR KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KGIT KMCC KPRP KAUST KPAOPREL KPRV KIRP KLAB KHSA KPAONZ KCRIM KICA KCRCM KHDP KNAR KINR KGHA KPAOY KTRD KTAO KWAC KJUST KACT KSCI KNPP KMRS KNNPMNUC KBTS KERG KAWK KPIR KTLA KNDP KVRP KAID KO KPOA KVIR KX KMFO KENV KFSC KTBT KRCM KCFC KNEI KCHG KPLS KFTFN KTFM KLIG KDEMAF KRIM KRAD KBTR KGCC KSEC KPIN KDEV KWWMN KOM KWNM KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KRGY KIFR KSAC KWMNCS KPAK KOMS KFPC KDDG KCGC KPAI KID KMIG KNSD KWMM
LY LE LABOR LH LAB LTTE LO LI LU LA LVPR LT LG LOG
MARR MX MASS MOPS MNUC MCAP MTCRE MRCRE MTRE MASC MY MK MCC MO MAS MZ MCA MIL MU ML MTCR MEPP MG MI MINUSTAH MP MA MD MAR MAPP MR MOPPS MTS MLS MILI MEPN MEPI MEETINGS MERCOSUR MW MT MIK MN MAPS MV MILITARY MARAD MDC MACEDONIA MASSMNUC MUCN MEDIA MQADHAFI MPOS MPS MC
NZ NATO NI NO NU NG NL NPT NS NSF NA NP NATIONAL NASA NDP NIH NC NIPP NSSP NEGROPONTE NK NAS NE NATOIRAQ NGO NR NAR NZUS NARC NH NSG NAFTA NEW NRR NT NOVO NATOPREL NEA NSC NV NPA NSFO NW NORAD NPG NOAA
OTRA OECD OVIP OREP OPRC ODC OIIP OPDC OAS OSCE OPIC OMS OEXC OPCW OIE OSCI OPAD ODPC ODIP OFDP OM OFFICIALS OEXP OPEC OVIPPRELUNGANU OSHA OHUM OSIC OTR OMIG OSAC OBSP OFDA OVP ON OCII OES OCS OIC
PGOV PREL PARM PINR PHUM PM PREF PTER PK PINS PBIO PHSA PE PBTS PL POL PAK POV POLITICS POLICY PA PNAT PALESTINIAN PAS PCI PO PROV PH PLAB PERM PETR PRELBR PROP POLITICAL PJUS PREZ PAO PRELPK PAIGH PROG PMAR PU PG PTE PDOV PGOVSOCI PY PMIL PETER PGOR PBTSRU PRAM PARMS PPA PSI PTERE PGOF PINO PREO PERL PRGOV PORG PP PS PKFK PSOE PEPR PDEM PINT PRELP PREFA PNG PTBS PFOR PUNE PGOVLO PHUMBA POLINT PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PECON PLN PHUH PEDRO PF PHUS PARTIES PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PHUMPREL POGOV PEL PINL PBT PINF PRL PSEPC POSTS PAHO PHUMPGOV PGOC PNR
QA
RS RP RU RW RFE RCMP RIGHTSPOLMIL RO ROBERT RM ROOD RICE REGION RELAM RSP RF RELATIONS RIGHTS RUPREL REMON RPEL REACTION REPORT RSO
SZ SENV SOCI SNAR SY SO SP SU SI SMIG SYR SA SCUL SW SR SYRIA SNARM SPECIALIST SG SENS SF SEN SENVEAGREAIDTBIOECONSOCIXR SN SC SNA SK SL SANC SMIL SCRM SENVSXE SAARC STEINBERG SARS SCRS SWE SNARIZ SENVQGR SAN ST SM SIPDIS SSA SPCVIS SOFA SENVKGHG SHI SEVN SHUM SH SNARCS SPCE SNARN SIPRS
TRGY TBIO TSPA TU TPHY TI TX TH TIP TSPL TNGD TS TW TRSY TZ TN TINT TC TR TIO TF TK TRAD TT TWI TD TERRORISM TL TV TP TO TURKEY TSPAM TREL TRT TFIN TAGS THPY TBID
UNSC UK UNGA UN US UZ USEU UG UP UNAUS UNMIK USTR UY UNSCR UNRCR UNESCO UNICEF USPS UNHRC UNFICYP UNHCR UNCSD UNEP USAID UV UNDP UNTAC USDA USUN UNMIC UNCHR UR UNCTAD USGS USOAS UA USNC UE UNVIE UAE UNO UNODC UNCHS UNDESCO UNC UNPUOS UNDC UNCHC UNFCYP UNIDROIT UNCND
VE VM VT VZ VEPREL VN VTEG VTIZ VTPREL VISIT VENZ VAT VC VI
WHTI WIPO WTRO WTO WHO WFP WS WHA WA WZ WI WMD WBG WWARD WITH WTRQ WEU WMO WB
XA XW XX XK XL XM XS XF XR XY XG XT XC XH XD XE XV XB XU XZ XQ XI XTAG
YI YM YE YL YMCS
ZU ZI ZOELLICK ZP ZR ZO ZK ZF ZL ZB ZN ZH ZT ZJ ZEALAND ZA ZANU

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 07BRASILIA2068, SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 101

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #07BRASILIA2068.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
07BRASILIA2068 | 2007-10-30 19:27 | 2011-07-11 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Brasilia

`

    VZCZCXRO3954
    RR RUEHC
    DE RUEHBR #2068/01 3031927
    ZNR UUUUU ZZH
    R 301927Z OCT 07
    FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0295
    INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
    RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0148
    RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN 0151
    RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 0312
    RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 0138
    RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 0176
    RUEHOR/AMEMBASSY GABORONE 0144
    RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0148
    RUEHLC/AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE 0150
    RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE 0668
    RUEHSV/AMEMBASSY SUVA 0130
    RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0351
    RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 5071
    RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 6479
    RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 5705
    RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 3596
    RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 2302
    RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 4341
    RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 6352
    RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN 1325
    RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 7050
    RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO 1362
    RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 3819
    RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 7275
    RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 1060
    RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 5322
    RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
    RHEBAAA/DOE WASHDC
    RUEHC/DOI WASHDC
    RUEAWJA/DOJ WASHDC
    RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC
    RUEANAT/NASA HQ WASHDC
    RUCPDC/NOAA WASHDC
    RUMIAAA/USCINCSO MIAMI FL
    RUEHRC/USDA WASHDC
    RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 18 BRASILIA 002068

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    DEPT PASS USAID TO LAC/RSD, LAC/SAM, G/ENV, PPC/ENV
    TREASURY FOR USED IBRD AND IDB AND INTL/MDB
    USDA FOR FOREST SERVICE: LIZ MAHEW
    INTERIOR FOR DIR INT AFFAIRS: K WASHBURN
    INTERIOR FOR FWS: TOM RILEY
    INTERIOR FOR NPS: JONATHAN PUTNAM
    INTERIOR PASS USGS FOR INTERNATIONAL: J WEAVER
    JUSTICE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES: JWEBB
    EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL: CAM HILL-MACON
    USDA FOR ARS/INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH: G FLANLEY
    NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL: HAROLD STOLBERG

    E.O. 12958: N/A
    TAGS: SENV EAGR EAID TBIO ECON SOCI XR BR
    SUBJECT: SOUTH AMERICA ESTH NEWS, NUMBER 101

    BRASILIA 00002068  001.5 OF 018

    ¶1.  The following is the one-hundred-first in a series of
    newsletters, published by the Brasilia Regional Environmental Hub,
    covering environment, science and technology, and health news in
    South America.  The information below was gathered from news sources
    from across the region, and the views expressed do not necessarily
    reflect those of the Hub office or our constituent posts.
    Addressees who would like to receive a user-friendly email version
    of this newsletter should contact Larissa Stoner at
    stonerla@state.gov.  The e-mail version also contains a calendar of
    upcoming ESTH events in the region.  NOTE: THE NEWSLETTER IS NOW
    ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE BRASILIA INTRANET PAGE, BY CLICKING ON THE
    'HUB' LINK.

    ¶2. Table of Contents

    Forests
    --(3)New World Bank Facility Would Help Against Forest Degrading
    --(4)Brazilian Police Dismantle Gang That Smuggled Endangered Wood
    to United States
    --(5)Amazon Loggers Hold Greenpeace Activists Captive
    --(6)Guyana: Government Cites Companies over Breaches of Forestry
    Procedures
    --(7)Fires Burning Across Brazil Put Biodiversity at Risk

    Wildlife
    --(8)Guyana: Spain to Fund Aquarium Upgrade In Exchange For
    Manatees
    --(9)Manatee Reintroduction Slated For Brazilian State of Amazonas

    Protected Areas
    --(10)Brazil Congress Committee Considers Reducing Amazon
    Protections
    --(11)Biosphere Created, Indian Lands Granted In Ecuador
    --(12)Argentina: Backlash Greets Wetland-Conservation Drive
    --(13)Bolivian Settlers Push for Parkland Acreage

    Science & Technology
    --(14)Brazil to Make 385-Mln-Dollar Bid for Orbit Concession
    --(15)Activist, Guard Killed on Brazil Biofarm
    --(16)U.S. restricts use of dual technology in Sino-Brazilian
    satellite
    --(17)Telemedicine links Galapagos to mainland

    BRASILIA 00002068  002.3 OF 018

    Solid Waste Management & Pollution
    --(18)Regional Concern about Pesticides on Rise
    --(19)Brazil Tries to Break Solid-Waste Stalemate
    --(20)Smelter Fined In Peru for Air, Water Pollution
    --(21)Santiago Battles to Put Anti-Smog Effort on Track

    Energy
    --(22)Brazil's Lula Signs Biofuels Deal in Congo
    --(23)Chile Approves Renewable Energy Bill

    Climate Change
    --(24)Climate Change Helps Spider Specimen Move to Magallanes Region

    --(25)Latin America Proposes Solutions to Climate Change
    --(26)Argentine Environmental Negotiator Loses His Post
    --(27)As Glaciers Melt, So Does Climate Record

    General
    --(28)Guyana: Grant Aid for Sustainable Forest, Gold Ops Signed
    --(29)'Unknown' Peru Amazon Tribe Seen
    --(30)Copper Project New Focus for Peru's Mine Debate
    --(31)Argentina, Uruguay At Odds As Pulp Mill Nears Completion

    -------
    Forests
    -------

    ¶3. New World Bank Facility Would Help Against Forest Degrading

    OCT. 22, 2007 - The World Bank is working to develop the new fund
    that would pay developing countries hundreds of millions of dollars
    for protecting and replanting tropical forests which store huge
    amounts of carbon and thereby fights climate change.  The fund is
    called the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and is part of the UN
    climate change negotiations in Bali in December.  The facility will
    provide financial incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
    deforestation unlike the Kyoto Protocol which offers credits for
    replanting destroyed forests.  The fund will initially have US$300M
    to finance emissions reduction and to help prepare countries with
    the necessary tools to monitor forests.  According to a Reuters

    BRASILIA 00002068  003.3 OF 018

    article, the proposed facility has already attracted interest from
    more than a dozen developing countries, including Indonesia, Brazil
    and several in Africa's Congo River Basin. The World Bank expects to
    first test the mechanism in three to five countries. Part of the
    testing involves providing participating countries with the means to
    prove they are reducing rates of deforestation and those countries
    will have to prove that they are reducing deforestation.

    Source - Stabroeknews

    ¶4. Brazilian Police Dismantle Gang That Smuggled Endangered Wood to
    United States

    OCT. 18, 2007 - Brazilian police launched an operation in six states
    to dismantle a gang alleged to have illegally cut down and exported
    to the United States a rare wood commonly used to make musical
    instruments.  Some 350 federal officers, backed by state police and
    government environmental agents, arrested 23 people and were
    searching for two others, police inspector Tatiana Torres said from
    the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte. The U.S Fish and Wildlife
    Service's Northeast Region Office of Law Enforcement said it carried
    out a search in central Massachusetts but gave no details. Federal
    Brazilian police also began serving 67 search and seizure warrants
    for the illegal extraction of Brazilian rosewood, an endangered tree
    species that is native to and found only in eastern Brazil.

    Source - The Associated Press

    ¶5. Amazon Loggers Hold Greenpeace Activists Captive

    OCT. 18, 2007 - Brazilian loggers besieged eight Greenpeace
    activists on October 17 in a remote Amazon town, angered by a
    campaign against global warming that they fear could hurt their
    image.   Hundreds of townspeople, including dozens of loggers in
    trucks, cars and motorcycles, blockaded the activists in a local
    branch of the government's environmental protection agency Ibama, a
    Greenpeace spokesman said.  The incident, the second time in nearly
    two months that Greenpeace activists have been harassed in the
    Amazon jungle, underscores the often violent conflicts over natural
    resources between farmers and loggers on one hand and peasants and
    Indians on the other.

    BRASILIA 00002068  004 OF 018

    Source - Reuters (no link)

    ¶6. Guyana: Government Cites Companies over Breaches of Forestry
    Procedures

    OCT. 09, 2007 - [Guyana's] President Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed that
    recent alleged breaches of forestry procedures involve collusion
    between Barama Company Limited, some concessionaires and staffers at
    the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC). It is the first time that the
    name of a logging company has been mentioned publicly since a probe
    was launched into the fraud. Jagdeo warned that there will be
    consequences for the company and the other parties, noting that
    based upon preliminary investigations it seems as though there was a
    system among the three groups to defraud the government. Contacted
    for a comment last evening, Girwar Lalram, Chairman of Barama said
    it was premature for his organization to make a comment on the issue
    at this time.

    Source - Stabroeknews

    ¶7. Fires Burning Across Brazil Put Biodiversity at Risk

    OCT. 8, 2007 - Severe drought has been identified as the main cause
    of the fire that consumed three hectares of the Macico da Pedra
    Branca forest in Rio de Janeiro state in one September day.  In that
    same week, 170 other fire points were seen along the forests and
    conservation parks of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Fire officials
    said lack of environmental responsibility is to blame for these
    fires, many of them caused by human beings. Local plant biodiversity
    and animal habitats have been damaged, although no human injuries
    were reported, this despite the lack of resources from the state
    fire brigade that pressed their two helicopters to the maximum, as
    their one and only fireplane was broken. Hundreds of miles away,
    fire crews fought to save a region of native forest in Sao Paulo and
    parts of the Parque Nacional da Ilha Grande, on the borders of the
    states of Parana and Mato Grosso. In that region, no rain has fallen
    for two months and not even helicopters are available to fight the
    10 fires that have broken out there this year. In the Pantanal
    wetlands in west-central Brazil, more than 150,000 hectares have
    burned without remedy. The inhabitants of nearby towns have had
    difficulty breathing because of the thick smoke.

    BRASILIA 00002068  005.3 OF 018

    Source - Environmental News Service

    --------
    Wildlife
    --------

    ¶8. Guyana: Spain to Fund Aquarium Upgrade In Exchange For Manatees

    OCT. 17, 2007 - A pair of manatees was exported to Spain under an
    agreement that will provide funding for improvements to the aquarium
    to house the Arapaima exhibits at the Guyana Zoological Park.  The
    manatees were exported through the [Guyana] National Parks
    Commission (NPC) and they will be used to increase the population
    and improve the genetic stock of this species at the Faunia Zoo in
    Madrid, and at other zoos in Europe.  A similar agreement was
    finalized with the Odense Zoo in Denmark in 2001 as zoological parks
    around the world build partnerships to develop conservation and
    management programs to curb the decline of several endangered plant
    and animal species.

    Source - Stabroeknews

    ¶9. Manatee Reintroduction Slated For Brazilian State of Amazonas

    SEPT. 2007 - A trio of conservation entities has joined in an
    unprecedented effort to reintroduce Amazon manatees, an endangered
    species, into Brazil's rainforest rivers.  Researchers plan to place
    two male members of the freshwater species (Trichechus inunguis)
    into a tributary of the Rio Negro next February.  Manatee numbers in
    Brazil plunged in the period 1930-50, when hides from some 200,000
    of the animals-known locally as "peixe bois" or "fish cows"-were
    turned into industrial belts here and abroad, often for sewing
    machines.  Killing manatees for their pelts ended with the
    development in the 1950s of synthetic rubbers. But the animals face
    other threats, including habitat loss and death at the hands of
    Amazon hunters, who sell manatee meat to river dwellers.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    ---------------
    Protected Areas

    BRASILIA 00002068  006.3 OF 018

    ---------------

    ¶10. Brazil Congress Committee Considers Reducing Amazon Protections

    OCT. 09, 2007 - Environmentalists expressed concern at legislation
    before congress they said could lead to the destruction of a
    California-sized chunk of Amazon rainforest.  A congressional
    committee is considering legislation that would reduce the amount of
    forest landowners in the Amazon must leave standing as forest
    reserve. Under a 2001 executive decree, landowners in the Amazon may
    only clear-cut 20 percent of their land for pasture and planting and
    must maintain 80 percent standing as forest reserve. Many landowners
    say the restrictions hinder development in the poor Amazon region,
    which covers nearly 60 percent of Brazilian territory. Rep. Jorge
    Khoury, the committee's co-chair, denied the hearing was the first
    step toward reducing the forest reserve.  "This is just one more
    hearing to collect information and create a report to suggest
    changes to the law," Khoury said in a telephone interview.
    Nonetheless, environmentalists noted there are two separate projects
    before congress seeking to reduce the amount of required reserve to
    50 percent from the current 80 percent.

    Source - The Associated Press

    ¶11. Biosphere Created, Indian Lands Granted In Ecuador

    OCT. 2007 - Green advocates applauded two conservation gains in
    Ecuador: the designation of the country's fourth biosphere reserve
    and the deeding of rainforest land to the nation's Shuar indigenous
    community.  Granting official recognition to historic Shuar land
    claims, the government of Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa on
    Sept. 20 approved the titling of 17,000 acres (7,000 has) to three
    Shuar communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon-Yaupi, Achunts Mankusas
    and Chinkianas.  Welcome as this news of the Shuar land-titling was
    to conservationists, the creation of Ecuador's fourth biosphere,
    also on Sept. 20, was the higher-profile development.  The United
    Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
    extended biosphere status to a vast 2.82-million-acre
    (1.14-million-ha) swath of land encompassing Podocarpus National
    Park, the upper watershed of the Nangaritza River and the Csndor
    mountains, as well as territory of the Saraguro and Shuar Indians
    and two religious and tourism centers-El Cisne and Vilcabamba.  The

    BRASILIA 00002068  007.3 OF 018

    reserve, named Podocarpus-El Condor, is extraordinarily biodiverse
    owing to its location at the intersection of the Amazon watershed,
    the Andes and the Ecuadorian paramo.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    ¶12. Argentina: Backlash Greets Wetland-Conservation Drive

    SEPT. 2007 - Hoping to block conservation purchases in Argentina's
    Corrientes province, opponents of Former U.S. clothing entrepreneur
    Douglas Tompkins [Esprit] in June amended the provincial
    constitution. Using a constituent assembly convened primarily to
    address gubernatorial terms, they inserted a new article, 61,
    prohibiting foreigners and corporations controlled by them from
    buying lands "in security areas or in protected areas or [areas]
    that constitute strategic resources."  Tompkins since the late 90s
    has been making a series of conservation purchases in the Esteros
    del Ibera, which feature vast expanses of marsh grasses dotted with
    lagoons and gallery forests.  Increasingly, the Esteros del Ibera
    have come under pressure from farming and logging. Some experts say
    the wetlands' hydrology also is being affected by nearby Yacyreta,
    the Argentine-Paraguayan hydroelectric dam that in recent years has
    raised the water level of its reservoir to generate more power.
    Tompkins hopes to address the development pressures much as he has
    done in Chile, where his acquisitions led to the creation of Pumalin
    Park, a government-recognized nature sanctuary stretching from the
    Andes to the Pacific at the northern tip of Chilean Patagonia.  He
    seeks to restore the lands environmentally and donate them to the
    national government on condition their protection be guaranteed, but
    his critics see darker motives.  "Douglas Tompkins isn't a
    philanthropist, he's a liar who wants to use the ecology line to
    gain control of our resources. Though it must seem crazy, I believe
    Tompkins is installing a United States enclave in Argentina," says
    Araceli Ferreyra, a constituent assembly member who voted for the
    constitutional changes.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    ¶13. Bolivian Settlers Push for Parkland Acreage

    BRASILIA 00002068  008.3 OF 018

    SEPT. 2007 - Colonizers and residents looking to ease landholding
    and development restrictions in Bolivia's highly prized Madidi
    National Park are threatening to resume protests if the government
    doesn't give them what they want.  Bolivia's government appears to
    be acceding to demands made during angry protests last May for a
    roadway and oil development in the park. But leaders of those
    demonstrations say another key demand-park acreage for farming,
    logging and ranching-has gone unmet.  That could spell more trouble
    for Madidi, an extraordinarily biodiverse, 4.5-million-acre
    (1.8-million-ha) expanse in northwest Bolivia where Andean-mountain
    and Amazonian ecosystems merge.  The government of Bolivian
    President Evo Morales initially reacted to the May protests with
    indignation and disbelief. Morales at one point said "drug
    traffickers and wood smugglers" were behind the demonstrations. He
    sent 400 soldiers and police to quell the unrest, then announced a
    military base would be built in Madidi to "preserve sovereignty and
    guarantee national integrity."  In negotiations, however, the
    government has backed down, making it known to protest leaders that
    it would study the possibility of completing the Apolo-Ixiamas road,
    which was briefly under construction in 2002 though no environmental
    or technical studies had been done. The government also has agreed
    to conduct oil exploration in the park.  Environmental groups worry
    government concessions could cause wholesale destruction in Madidi.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    --------------------
    Science & Technology
    --------------------

    ¶14. Brazil to Make 385-M-Dollar Bid for Orbit Concession

    OCT. 23, 2007 - The Brazilian government is to bid 700 million reais
    (385 million U.S. dollars) for the concession of a space orbit
    strategic to South America.  "We need that orbital position," said
    Helio Costa, Brazil's Minister of Telecommunications, in an
    interview with a local newspaper.  Costa will have a meeting in
    Geneva, Switzerland with representatives from Colombia, Bolivia and
    Peru to solve the impasse concerning the concession of the so-called
    orbit 68.  The exploitation of the orbit was conceded to the Andean

    BRASILIA 00002068  009.5 OF 018

    countries seven years ago. However, according to the minister, they
    had to launch a satellite by Sept. 2007 in order to keep the
    concession, which they failed to accomplish.  According to
    international rules on space exploration, other countries could bid
    for the orbit if the deadline expires.  But Colombia, Peru and
    Bolivia are struggling for a time extension, which they claimed
    would allow them to launch their own satellite.  Other countries
    have also demonstrated an interest in the orbit.  In a partnership
    with Uruguay, Venezuela is seeking authorization from the ITU to
    launch into the orbit its first Simon Bolivar satellite, said the
    newspaper.

    Source - English People

    ¶15. Activist, Guard Killed on Brazil Biofarm

    OCT. 22, 2007 - Two people were shot dead when activists were
    confronted by armed men as they invaded a Swiss-owned farm that has
    been a flashpoint in the debate over biotech crops, authorities and
    the company said.   A security guard and an activist were killed by
    gunfire at the research farm owned by Syngenta AG, a global company
    with a heavy focus on genetically modified seeds.   While Brazil's
    national government allows use of genetically modified seeds for
    some crops, Parana's state government recently outlawed genetically
    modified corn and has tried repeatedly tried to shut down the
    Syngenta farm.

    Source - The New York Times

    ¶16. U.S. restricts use of dual technology in Sino-Brazilian
    satellite

    OCT. 22, 2007 - Story criticizes USG restrictions on the exportation
    of dual-use technologies by companies in the United States to
    Brazilian companies working in the Sino-Brazilian environmental
    remote imaging satellites CBERS 3 and 4. Story highlights that the
    "restrictions aren't directed specifically at Brazil, but rather at
    [China], a military power that is now also a space [power]," but
    calls the restrictions "Orwellian." In a sidebar, a short op-ed by
    National Space Research Institute (INPE) Director Gilberto Cmara
    says that, "Unfortunately, the positive [U.S.-Brazil] relations in
    the space area aren't reflected in the positions of the Department

    BRASILIA 00002068  010.3 OF 018

    of State and in the U.S. legislation." According to the op-ed U.S.
    officials who are in charge of controlling sensitive technologies
    "have told Inpe that they know that the CBERS is a civilian program
    and that there is no technology transfer from Brazil to China. Even
    so, they say that U.S. legislation prohibits the exportation of
    space components to any program with Chinese participation." Another
    sidebar quotes U.S. Embassy Information Officer Richard Mei: "There
    is a very specific law for U.S. technology: no matter where it is
    going first.  If there is a dual purpose, it is subject to this law,
    because its final destination would be China."

    Source - Public Affairs US Embassy Brasilia.  Original source -
    Folha de Sao Paulo

    ¶17. Telemedicine links Galapagos to mainland

    OCT. 18, 2007 - The Equinoctial Technology University in Ecuador
    opened a telemedicine center that will use satellite connections to
    train medical staff and provide better healthcare in remote areas
    like the Galapagos Islands. The new center will also offer
    long-distance training for health staff and will eventually provide
    coverage nationally.  The university has invested US$250,000 in
    equipment, and the Ecuadorian air force has granted three hours of
    free satellite access a day, two for patient care and one for
    training, which will save the university around US$10,000 a month.
    The project is supported by US-based University of New Mexico.

    Source - SciDev

    ¶18. Solid Waste Management & Pollution
    Regional Concern about Pesticides on Rise

    OCT. 2007 - Experts say that as pesticide use increases in a region
    scrambling to tap world agricultural markets [i.e. Latin America],
    toxic chemicals often are being used without proper controls,
    endangering millions of farm workers. At the same time, they
    contend, government pesticide regulations-where they exist-often go
    unenforced.  According to health researchers the results of
    increasing pesticide use are demonstrated by the elevated odds of
    birth defects and developmental problems among the children of farm
    workers and a growing risk of skin disease, miscarriages, sterility

    BRASILIA 00002068  011.3 OF 018

    and cancer among the workers themselves.  Bolivia has Latin
    America's highest rate of growth for pesticide imports, which more
    than doubled over the past five years. Of those imports, an
    estimated 30% is contraband.  Pesticide sales in Latin American
    countries are projected to reach a total of $7.5 billion by 2009.
    Industry observers say the rapid growth is driven by expanding crop
    areas, new disease outbreaks and an increase in plantings of
    pesticide-tolerant genetically modified crops. In recent years,
    Brazil and Argentina in particular have experienced a huge surge in
    pesticide purchases.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    ¶19. Brazil Tries to Break Solid-Waste Stalemate

    OCT. 2007 - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has sent
    Congress a national solid-waste management bill, the first ever
    proposed by the executive branch, to break a years-long
    congressional stalemate on the issue.  Though the bill appears to
    have won impressive early support from stakeholders and legislators,
    its deliberate lack of crucial details will likely prompt
    special-interest battling over implementation if the measure is
    enacted.  The new bill represents an attempt to clear a stalemate
    that has left Brazil with no nationwide solid-waste-management rules
    aside from norms issued by an environmental regulatory body
    regarding disposal of used tires, batteries and construction waste.
    Since 1991, lawmakers have introduced nearly 100
    solid-waste-management bills in Congress, but the measures typically
    founder amid opposition from industry groups. The new legislation
    addresses myriad problems including clogged and insufficient
    sanitary landfills, illegal dumping and burning of waste in open-air
    dump sites as well, as the country's low recycling rate.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    ¶20. Smelter Fined In Peru for Air, Water Pollution

    SEPT. 2007 - Doe Run Peru in August was fined US$230,000 for
    environmental violations caused by its metals smelter in the Andean
    town of La Oroya in Peru's central Junn department. And on Aug. 31,

    BRASILIA 00002068  012.3 OF 018

    the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ordered the Peruvian
    government to take steps to protect the health of residents of La
    Oroya, where repeated studies have found high blood lead levels,
    especially in children.  Doe Run has been the target of protests
    since shortly after it bought the smelter from Peru's state-run
    mining company in 1997. Underlying them is concern over heavy-metals
    and sulfur-dioxide emissions at the smelter, which processes lead,
    copper and zinc. Carlos Rojas, regional executive secretary of the
    National Environment Council, Peru's top environmental authority,
    says the enforcement action underscores a need for greater community
    oversight and reporting of green issues.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    ¶21. Santiago Battles to Put Anti-Smog Effort on Track

    SEPT. 2007 - In one of the coldest winters to hit Chile in decades,
    smog over the months of May through August soared to its worst
    levels since 1999, triggering 22 environmental alerts and six
    official pre-emergencies. That roughly equals or exceeds the totals
    for each of the past six years. On May 12, the index used to track
    particulates in Santiago registered 409, well above the 301 level at
    which particulate contamination is considered "critical."  The
    biggest factor in this year's severe smog was unusually dry winter
    weather brought on by La Nia, a periodic cooling of east-central
    equatorial Pacific Ocean waters that every few years drives down
    temperatures and rainfall here. Because Santiago is sandwiched
    between the Andes and the Cordillera de la Costa mountain range, air
    circulation is often blocked on especially dry days as a layer of
    warm air settles over the city and traps airborne contaminants
    below.  But La Nia isn't the only cause of Santiago's bad air. Also
    contributing is an increase in automobile use-a reflection, in part,
    of the problems plaguing Transantiago, the capital's new public
    transportation system.  And despite city-government calls on
    residents to cut back on the use of firewood for home heating, the
    request has fallen on deaf ears amid low winter temperatures and
    rising energy prices.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    BRASILIA 00002068  013.3 OF 018

    ------
    Energy
    ------

    ¶22. Brazil's Lula Signs Biofuels Deal in Congo

    OCT. 18, 2007 - Brazil has signed two agreements with the Democratic
    Republic of Congo to provide the poor central African state with
    training, technology and financing to produce biofuels from sugar
    cane and palm oil.   "We are ready to accompany the continent and we
    are willing to help those countries which want to follow Brazil's
    example: today we are self-sufficient in energy," [President] Lula
    told the news conference.   Brazil's state oil company Petrobras
    expects ethanol sales at home, in Latin America's largest country,
    to beat gasoline consumption by around 2020.  Africa produces a
    range of crops that could be used to make biofuels, including sugar
    cane, sugar beet, maize, sorghum and cassava -- all of which can be
    used to make ethanol -- and peanuts, whose oil can be used to power
    diesel engines.

    Source - Reuters (no link)

    ¶23. Chile Approves Renewable Energy Bill

    OCT. 16, 2007 - Chile's Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved an
    environmental bill focused on the development of unconventional
    renewable energy (ERNC). The bill aims to diversify the electrical
    industry and promote clean energies.  The initiative mandates that
    electrical companies with a capacity greater than 200 megawatts (MW)
    - including Endesa, Colbun and Gener - must use unconventional
    renewable energy sources to generate at least five percent of their
    total production by 2010. This percentage will increase gradually
    until arriving at eight percent in 2024. The bill is aimed at
    forcing major companies to develop "unconventional" sources of
    energy, such as solar, geothermal, Aeolian (solar thermoelectric and
    photovoltaic), biomass (solid, liquid, and biogas) and hydraulic
    energy.  Most environmental experts consider the proposal
    insufficient, especially "because in 2024 we will have greater
    financial and technical abilities in the renewable energy field."

    Source - Santiago Times (no link)

    BRASILIA 00002068  014.3 OF 018

    --------------
    Climate Change
    --------------

    ¶24. Climate Change Helps Spider Specimen Move to Magallanes Region

    OCT. 21, 2007 - Climate change consequences in the entomologic field
    have reached Magallanes Region in the far south of Chile.  Local
    authorities are now cautioning about the appearance of a small
    spider identified as the "false black widow", which can be lethal
    for people suffering different allergies. The scientific name of the
    specimen is Steatoda gross, and until recently the furthest south
    she had been found was in Osorno, a hundred kilometers north of
    Puerto Montt, an area not exposed to the extreme temperatures of
    Magallanes.  According to Patagonia Institute biologist Eduardo
    Fagundez who has been researching the spider in Magallanes, the
    poison of the arachnid attacks the nervous system and thus is
    potentially dangerous for people who suffer from allergic reactions.
    Fagundez believes the false black widow reached the north of Punta
    Arenas sometime a year ago approximately.

    Source- MercoPress

    ¶25. Latin America Proposes Solutions to Climate Change

    OCT. 2007 - The over 1,500 representatives from Latin America who
    were present at the International Meeting on Climate change held in
    Ecuador October 15-18 presented a document to President Rafael
    Correa (Ecuador) with a series of proposals to deal with climate
    change.   Among suggestions were: 1) define a new model for
    development in Latin America that is socially responsible and
    harmonic with nature; 2) elaborate policies for adaptation to
    climate change; 3) establish funding and technology transfer
    mechanisms for climate change adaptation and mitigation from
    developed to developing countries; 4) identify melting Andean
    glaciers as a high environmental priority and fund appropriate
    research efforts; 5) strengthen climate observatory systems; 6)
    develop strategies for water management; and 7) establish payment
    mechanism from developed countries to developing countries for
    keeping their forests intact (avoided deforestation).  A total of 21
    proposals were suggested and are available in Spanish at
    www.sur.iucn.org.

    BRASILIA 00002068  015.3 OF 018

    Source - IUCN

    ¶26. Argentine Environmental Negotiator Loses His Post

    OCT. 2007 - Argentine diplomat Raul Estrada Oyuela, a much-praised
    protagonist in the talks that birthed the Kyoto climate-change
    agreement, was removed from his post as the Argentine Foreign
    Ministry's environmental-affairs representative September, two days
    after declaring that his country "has no environmental policy."
    Oyuela, who in 1997 presided over the international meeting that
    produced the Kyoto Protocol and was described by a U.S. negotiator
    as a "grandmaster of diplomacy and the godfather of Kyoto," made the
    remark during a Sept. 19 conference at the United Nations office in
    Buenos Aires.  He also said Argentina urgently must adopt strategies
    aimed at adapting to climate change.  Since his dismissal, Oyuela
    has continued to speak out.  He recently faulted the national
    government for not intervening in controversies over huge mining
    projects slated for several Argentine provinces.  And in the
    immediate aftermath of his firing he strongly defended his
    suggestion that Argentina lacks an environmental policy.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    ¶27. As Glaciers Melt, So Does Climate Record

    SEPT. 2007 - The Andes are topped by the largest concentration of
    ice anywhere in the Earth's tropics. While the melting of the
    tropical glaciers contributes little to global sea-level rise in
    comparison to the melting of ice in Greenland and Antarctica, the
    rapid retreat of Andean glaciers is threatening irrigation and
    drinking water supplies, hydroelectricity production and tourism.
    It also is erasing a valuable record of the planet's climatic
    history. In 1991, tropical Andean glaciers covered an estimated
    1,065 square miles (2,758 sq kms), with 70% in Peru, 20% in Bolivia
    and the rest in Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.  Since then,
    glaciers have disappeared from Venezuela and are shrinking in the
    other countries. Figures from 2002 put the area at 962.6 square
    miles (2,493 sq kms), a loss of nearly 10% in just over a decade.
    To stay abreast of the changes, the Glaciology and Water Resources
    Unit of Peru's National Institute of Natural Resources (Inrena) in

    BRASILIA 00002068  016.3 OF 018

    Huaraz currently is conducting a new nationwide glacier inventory.
    Among the points of particular interest will be the Santa River
    valley, known as the Callejon de Huaylas, which lies at the foot of
    the Cordillera Blanca.  Because the question seems to be not if, but
    when such runoff reductions occur, Inrena's glacier inventory is
    aimed not just at mapping glacial retreat, but at determining how
    much fresh water remains in the country's mountain reserves and how
    long it can be expected to last.

    Source - EcoAmericas (For complete article please contact Larissa
    Stoner)

    -------
    General
    -------

    ¶28. Guyana: Grant Aid for Sustainable Forest, Gold Ops Signed

    OCT. 24, 2007 - WWF Guyana launched the second phase of its regional
    environmental project entitled Guyanas Sustainable Natural Resources
    Management Project and signed four grant agreements in the total
    amount of $86.14M.   The agencies receiving the grants were the
    Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), the Hydrometeorological Service of
    the Ministry of Agriculture and the Guyana Geology and Mines
    Commission (GGMC).  The primary conservation focus of this project
    phase is on sustainable forest management, protected areas
    management, freshwater species conservation and gold mining
    pollution abatement in Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

    Source - Stabroeknews

    ¶29. 'Unknown' Peru Amazon Tribe Seen

    OCT. 04, 2007 - A previously unknown indigenous group living in
    isolation has been found deep in Peru's Amazon jungle, a team of
    ecologists has said.  The ecologists spotted the 21 Indians near the
    Brazilian border as they flew overhead looking for illegal loggers.
    Contact with outsiders can be fatal for isolated tribes people who
    have no immunity to many diseases. Some groups have fled deep into
    the jungle to avoid contact with loggers and oil and gas
    prospectors. A pan-American human rights group criticized Peru's
    government this year for doing little to protect the groups from

    BRASILIA 00002068  017.3 OF 018

    illegal loggers who are chopping down the mahogany-rich forests in
    which they live.

    Source - BBC

    ¶30. Copper Project New Focus for Peru's Mine Debate

    OCT. 2007 - Ro Blanco [in northern Peru's Piura region] is the site
    of the latest flashpoint in the battle over large-scale mining in
    Peru. [Mining company] Majaz proposes to create a US$1.44 billion
    open-pit copper mine that would rank among the 20 largest copper
    mines in the world. Opponents worry that mining in Andean cloud
    forests here near the Ecuadorian border will reduce the flow of the
    region's rivers and pollute them with acid runoff. Supporters,
    however, argue only mining can help this impoverished border area,
    where most residents near the mine site are subsistence farmers or
    small-scale coffee growers.  Legislation sent to Congress on
    September 21 by Peru's executive branch lists Ro Blanco among 20
    mining projects of "national interest" that should receive
    preferential consideration. The Mining Company Majaz now must file
    an environmental impact assessment and renegotiate land-use rights
    with the communities of El Carmen de la Frontera and Segunda y
    Cajas. Local leaders say the company failed to get community
    approval for the exploratory phase, a claim supported by the
    government Ombudsman's Office last year.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    ¶31. Argentina, Uruguay At Odds As Pulp Mill Nears Completion

    SEPT. 2007 - Tension between Argentina and Uruguay is growing as a
    massive pulp mill Uruguay has allowed a Finnish company to build
    near the countries' common border nears completion.  A source of
    cross-border angst during its planning and development stages, the
    complex has stoked new Argentine-Uruguayan tension as it prepares to
    start production.  On Aug. 29, Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez
    inaugurated the private port, which Botnia will use to export pulp
    to Europe and China.  In a press statement, Argentina's Foreign
    Relations Ministry referred to the port-opening ceremony as "an
    aggravation of the controversy." It is unclear when production at
    the new plant will begin. After August's port inauguration, Botnia

    BRASILIA 00002068  018.3 OF 018

    announced the start-up would take place in September, but Uruguay's
    top environmental official, Mariano Arana, said the government
    needed to receive information from Botnia before allowing the plant
    to go into operation.

    Source - EcoAmericas (please contact Larissa Stoner for complete
    article)

    SOBEL

`