A Quick Look at the Brazilian Press

Summary: Brazilian headlines today are dominated by reports of GOB response to the U.S (P5+1) push for sanctions against Iran. Foreign Minister Amorim spoke to the press and appeared "indignant" according to press reports. Media commentary raised concerns that the Brazil/Turkey deal reinforces Iranian efforts to buy time for its military nuclear program. On the other hand, the rapid response by the United States to announce sanctions is viewed as disrespectful of Brazilian efforts to bring Iran to the negotiating table.

Amorim responds to U.S. push for sanctions

An angry Brazil says it will denounce U.S. action [against Iran] at UN – O Estado de S. Paulo A13: http://migre.me/GfjH

Amorim says U.S. put the cart before the horse by insisting on sanctions after the deal – Folha de S. Paulo A12

Amorim asks Security Council to look closely at agreement – O Globo 30: http://migre.me/GhnI

Folha and Estado report Brazil was not pleased with U.S. moves towards sanctions and say Brazil and Turkey will send a letter to the United Nations Security Council supporting the deal signed with Iran. “Ignoring the deal is desparaging the search for a peaceful and negotiated solution,” Estado quotes Brazil’s Foreign minister Celso Amorim as saying. “We are not irritated with U.S. skepticism. The deal is the one they [UNSC permanent members (P5) plus Germany] proposed. Difficulties were these. And all of them were solved,” Folha quotes Amorim as saying. O Globo highlights that Amorim “appeared to be indignant” during his announcement, and underscored that “there will be a reaction” if sanctions are announced. Amorim underscored that there is still a chance of a peaceful and negotiated solution with Iran and that those who disdain even considering this option will have to take responsibility for their actions just as Brazil and Turkey are taking responsibility for their obligations. Amorim emphasized the importance of the declaration signed in Tehran and, according to the paper, he found the U.S. stance to be odd: “It is the agreement they proposed. We are only making viable what they wanted. All the difficulties were solved, at least in writing.”

Brazil concerned about “negative” U.S. reaction to deal with Iran; References Made to President Obama's Letter

Negative reaction from U.S. worries Brazil – Folha de S. Paulo A15

Brazil sees strong action from the Obama administration against Lula’s mediation - Valor Econômico A10:

Papers say the GOB believes the USG set forth a plan of “exceptional pressure” to make President Lula’s mission to Iran fail. Columnist Clovis Rossi says President Lula was surprised with the U.S. offensive, once the deal being negotiated with Iran followed strictly the same lines as President Obama had mentioned in a letter sent 3 weeks ago to the Brazilian President. Valor says the GOB believes the U.S. problem with Iran is not limited to the nuclear issue. Both papers cite GOB Foreign Affairs Advisor, Marco Aurelio Garcia as saying “The U.S. will be in bad shape if it tries the sanctions path....It would be morally and politically unacceptable....If there are sanctions, there won’t be negotiations. Iran is a country too important to subject itself.”

Reporting on U.S. announcement of deal to seek sanctions

U.S. ignores Brazil in announcing deal for sanctions against Iran – O Estado de S. Paulo A12: http://migre.me/Gfk5

Major powers agree on deal about new sanctions against Iran - Folha de S. Paulo A13

Under domestic pressure, U.S. proposes sanctions against Iran - Valor Economico 10 http://migre.me/Gfi7

Hillary tramples over Lula’s agreement – O Globo 29: http://migre.me/Gfnb

Papers report that a day after Brazil and Turkey reached a deal with Iran, the U.S. proposed to impose new sanctions against Iran. Estado reports Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called to Brazil’s Foreign minister Celso Amorim on Monday afternoon, listened to what he had to say and informed about the sanctions that would be proposed on the following day. Papers report the U.S. had to agree to less rigid sanctions than it intended in order to get Russia and China’s support. Folha reports Brazil’s Ambassador to the UN Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti left the meeting being held between P5+1 40 minutes after it started, saying to Brazilian journalists that Brazil “would not engage in the discussion at this moment.” “There is a new situation, the deal, and the moment is for diplomacy.” O Globo New York correspondent Marilia Martins writes that just one day after the Brazil-Turkey agreement with Iran was announced, the U.S. “trampled over” over that arrangement by announcing a draft of new sanctions.

Brazil and Turkey want to be part of “P5+1” – O Globo 30/ Folha de S. Paulo A15: According to press reports, although some of the most powerful countries in the world may be opposed to this initiative, Brazil and Turkey consider their mediation of the Iranian nuclear agreement to have been successful. Therefore, both countries consider it natural that they should become part of the “P5+1,” (the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany)—which has been dealing closely with the Iranian nuclear issue. GOB’s Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs, Marco Aurelio Garcia, is also quoted as saying that “the U.S. must understand that a country like Iran will not break under sanctions. If the U.S. chooses sanctions it will (...) suffer political and moral sanctions.” http://migre.me/Ghpd

China praises deal without disregarding new sanctions – O Estado de S. Paulo A14 / China praises deal, but support punishment - Folha de S. Paulo A13/

Turkish Prime-minister criticizes nuclear powers action – O Estado de S. Paulo A12: Papers report China’s regime believes in the “two ways” strategy, which combines dialogue and pressure. Estado reports that while President Lula kept silent about discussions for new sanctions, Turkey’s Prime-minister Recep Taypp expressed he was irritated with P5+1.

Analysis (Patricia Campos Mello): “Actions increase tension between countries with and without the bomb” – O Estado de S. Paulo A12: Washington correspondent Patricia Campos Mello says announcement of the resolution against Iran increases the tension between emerging countries without the bomb and nuclear powers. She says countries like Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia and Egypt see in Iran’s right to enrich uranium a mirror for their own nuclear ambitions. On the other hand, for nuclear powers like Russia and the U.S it is all about reinforcing its power in the world’s geopolitics and putting countries like Brazil and Turkey on their places. She also notes countries without the bomb believe the NPT is unfair and nuclear powers are getting angry with the fact that Brazil and Turley are getting in the midst of an issue they used not to interfere. Patricia Campos Mello ends the piece quoting Ambassador Shannon as foreseeing in January that Brazil and U.S. diplomacies would have greater challenges ahead because the two countries were meeting in scenarios that they didn’t use to meet, like the Middle East. http://migre.me/Gi7g

Analysis (Denise Chrispim): “Iran tries to bypass NPT, despite being a signatory” – O Estado de S. Paulo A14: Denise Chrispim Marin says the Iranian government has always preferred to adopt a dubious stance towards its nuclear program and has used NTP loopholes as a shield to enrich uranium and block inspections. She notes that as a result, IAEA, U.S. and its allies don’t have to prove that Iran is in the process of building a nuclear weapon and can’t dissipate the distrust over Iran, which has the know-how to enrich uranium up to 90%. [PA Note: Denise will be Estado’s next Washington correspondent, beginning in June, in replacement of Patricia Campos Melo] http://migre.me/GfqK

Analysis (Claudia Antunes): “U.S. shows a preference for maintaining status quo instead of being bold in negotiation”– Folha de S. Paulo A14: Claudia Antunes says that by announce it has the support of all UNSC permanent members, the U.S. sought to show who runs the show. She says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton moved from last week’s skepticism to an “almost ironic” condescendence as regards Turkey’s and Brazil’s efforts and notes the USG sent the message that it is not interested in negotiations at this moment. “Yesterday the U.S. expressed they prefer not to be bold in this path [of negotiations]. But they might be abandoning the possibility of a sustainable pacification in the Middle East, under new basis.”

Analysis (Gustavo Chacra): Deal increases differences between Brazil, Turkey and the U.S. – O Estado de S. Paulo A14: NY correspondent Gustavo Chacra says Brazil’s and Turkey’s involvement in the Iranian issue intensified differences between the two countries and the U.S. Chacra notes that the risk for Brazil is to deteriorate its role in the West and never get a permanent seat a the UNSC. Turkey, on the other hand, he notes, already is at NATO and have a strategic location – have border with both Iran and Iraq.

Editorial – Brazil opens door for negotiation with Iran –Valor Economico A12: Paper says it would be very nice if the Brazilian diplomacy were proven right in the vote of confidence it has given Iran, however unlikely that scenario appears to be at the moment. http://migre.me/GfiW

Editorial – Neither Brazilian-Turkish deal nor sanctions can prevent the bomb – Folha de S. Paulo A2: Paper says understanding with Iran isn’t a guarantee against the bomb, although the same can be said about sanctions supported by the U.S.

Editorial: The motivations of a reckless plan – O Globo 6: The daily writes that the risky diplomatic game that Brazil has been playing (in Venezuela, Cuba, Honduras and now Iran) makes it apparent that Brazil is engaging in systematic confrontation of U.S. interests. The daily adds that there are serious consequences for Brazilian Foreign policy that one desires and hopes that Brazilian policy makers are considering possible consequences. The daily concludes its editorial reminding readers that Iran sponsors terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas and that one can only imagine what would happen if a nuclear weapon was made available to one of these groups by the Iranians. http://migre.me/GhsE

Editorial: Iran: Hillary Clinton finds her “big stick” – Jornal do Brasil A10: The daily publishes an editorial severely criticizing the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council for “solemnly ignoring the agreement” signed by Brazil, Iran and Turkey. Regarding Secretary Clinton, the daily writes that “Clinton has added to U.S. diplomacy her own expectations and personal flaws.” The daily adds that Secretary Clinton has been moving at “an inadequate pace in conducting the Iranian imbroglio” and that the U.S. appears to have had a pre-conceived retaliation plan, desired by the U.S. Department of State. The editorial continues by saying that Clinton was nominated by President Obama to this important office “as a consolation prize for the failure in the 2008 elections” and that Obama himself has already revealed that he prefers dialogue with Iran. The daily adds that Clinton “has difficulty understanding her position, not rarely revealing pretentiousness” and that “her interference in the Sean Goldman case” is an example of that. The editorial concludes that “Clinton has found in the old “Big Stick” method of American diplomacy her instrument of self-affirmation.” http://migre.me/Ghwr

Blog (Marcos Gutterman) – The American response to the Tehran farce – Politica Internacional...: According to blogger, the U.S. agreement with China and Russia to seek sanctions against the Iranian nuclear program, “indicates, quite eloquently, what the international community thought about the diplomatic farce carried out by Lula, Erdogan and Ahmadinejad.” According to the blogger, “Given that that so-called ‘agreement’ in Tehran does not call for basic things such as international oversight and limitations on uranium enrichment, the world powers said that Iran only made ‘concessions’ to buy time....” http://migre.me/Gf3c

Blog (Alon Feuerwerker): Brazil joins international poker game with Iran, but “not as a fool” – Blog do Alon: According to blogger and Correio Braziliense columnist, by forcing its way into the global negotiation with Iran, Brazil raised its international profile while accepting the risk of appearing to be a “useful idiot” in the hands of Tehran. However, even though it opposes sanctions, Brasilia fully supports the goal of preventing an Iranian bomb, and the Lula administration is no fool, the columnist concludes. http://migre.me/GeO6

Column (Alon Feuerwerker): Brazil and the U.S. “lack chemistry” – Blog do Alon: In his Correio Braziliense column today, blogger notes that Iran issue evidences “lack of chemistry” between Brasilia and Washington. “Not that things... are going bad in real life. They are actually progressing. Just the other day we signed a military agreement [with the U.S.], the first one since the 1970s. But the fine-tuning between our two presidents is no longer the same.” http://migre.me/Ggvv

Blog (Patricia Campos Mello): Iran represents clash between “haves and the have-nots” of nuclear technology – Historias Globais: According to Estado Washington correspondent, “the irritation of emerging nations with [the fact that] nuclear powers say who may and who may not have access to nuclear energy” is at the core of international controversy regarding Iran. http://migre.me/GeLC

Blog (Gustavo Chacra): Brazil-Turkey-Iran agreement increases likelihood of war – De Beirute a Nova York: Estado New York correspondent concludes – based on interviews with three Iran specialists in the U.S. looking at the timeline of nuclear negotiations this week – that the Brazil-Turkey-Iran agreement has made sanctions much more difficult to achieve and has brought the world closer to an Israeli military action against Tehran. http://migre.me/GeM2

Blog (Miriam Leitao): Agreement with Brazil and Turkey still leaves questions about Iran’s military nuclear program – Miriam Leitao.com: “Iran has clear, explicit intentions of becoming a nuclear power” and has received international oversight attempts with “denial and hostility,” writes, blogger, newspaper columnist and TV/radio commentator. http://migre.me/GeKX

Blog (Paulo Moreira Leite): Real failure in Brazil-Turkey-Iran agreement case belongs to naysayers: Epoca magazine editor and former Washington correspondent writes that the Brazil-Turkey agreement with Iran represented the “failure of those observers who spent an entire week betting on a complete debacle” and the beginning of a “new world order... [where] the powers don’t have ability to... impose their interests on other countries at will.” http://migre.me/Gf1p