WASHINGTON, USA (FOLHAPRESS) – The United States saw Brazil’s decision to receive Iranian warships this week as “lamentable”, but recognizes that it was “a sovereign decision”. That’s what Ricardo Zúniga says, the main policy maker for Brazil under Joe Biden’s management.
Deputy assistant secretary at the State Department and former consul in São Paulo, the diplomat claims that the Iranian regime “does not only act against its own people”, but projects its influence beyond borders “in activities that are counterproductive to peace and security international.”
In an interview with Folha de S.Paulo, Zúniga says that he hopes that Brazil defends democracy and human rights in the dictatorships of Nicaragua and Venezuela. He recognizes that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) may have interests that differ from those of the United States, but he says that the countries have complex relations and that the idea is to strengthen ties with Brazil.
*
QUESTION – John Kerry said in Brazil that the same amount of money should be put into fighting climate change as the war in Ukraine. But the amount offered by the US for the Amazon Fund was only US$ 50 million, less than expected and much less than what the US spends on the war. Will the US increase this value?
RICARDO ZÚNIGA – We will have to work with our Congress to ensure that the level of support is proportional to the importance we attach to it. We consider it key that Brazil continues to lead multilateral efforts in the Amazon Basin. We need to look at this beyond Brazil and we think the regional approach is very wise. The uncertainty of what Congress will pass is one of the reasons we haven’t been able to go beyond that. The $50 million that was put on the table was just the beginning, but I think both governments agreed that it was a good start.
Q – Minister Mauro Vieira is going to receive the Russian chancellor, Serguei Lavrov, in April in Brazil. The Russian government has indicated that it may be open to talks brokered by China and possibly Brazil. President Lula has been speaking at a peace club. How do you see it?
RZ – There is an important diplomatic aspect to reach the end of this conflict, which the US recognizes, supports and has defended. the secretary [de Estado americano, Antony] Blinken spoke with Minister Lavrov. But we must not lose sight of the fact that there is a very clear solution to the war, which is for Russia to stop aggression and invasion. Ukraine has very little room for manoeuvre. If you stop fighting, you lose territory. Most of the international community, including Brazil and the US, agree that there was a violation of the UN Charter.
It is important that everyone works to convince Russia to end its aggression. We are very careful not to make a false equivalence. They are not equal parts of the conflict. One side is the aggressor, Russia, and the other is the victim, Ukraine. Diplomacy is one component, but it has to be approached from the perspective that Ukraine is the losing party.
Q – How did you see the docking of Iranian ships in Brazil?
RZ – Iran is clearly trying to demonstrate its ability to bring military force anywhere in the world, and that was the purpose of the visit, to demonstrate that it can operate in other parts of the world. The ships have been subject to US sanctions for facilitating illicit activities in the past, and we have made our concerns clear to all countries in the Americas. To receive the ships when Iran is not only acting against its own people, but also trying to engage far beyond its borders in activities that are counterproductive to international peace and security is worrisome.
We recognize that it is a sovereign decision of Brazil. But it is worth noting that no other country hosted these ships. And there is a broad consensus that Iran’s efforts to project power in the Western Hemisphere, in the Americas, are not conducive to the welfare of the Americas, due to very clear and documented acts. Argentina, Brazil’s neighbor, is a very good example of the types of activities Iran has carried out in the past. [ataque contra judeus no país em 1992 e 1994 deixaram 114 mortos]. It is the same government in power to this day. So it was regrettable, but again, a sovereign decision by Brazil.
Q – Lula authorized the docking of the ships and is going to China soon. When will the honeymoon between the Lula and Biden governments end?
RZ – The two countries need each other and a sophisticated foreign policy. Brazil is a global actor, it will have a wide range of relationships. We understand that Brazil has deep economic and commercial ties with other countries, including those with which the US has an adversarial relationship. The US also has complex relationships. For the most part, our interests converge on the big issues we are dealing with in the world: climate change, hunger, international peace, opportunity, migration, the challenge of fostering a middle class in our societies. This is a relationship that has weathered many ups and downs, but the fact remains that it remains one of the most important relationships we have. We are likely to strengthen our relationship, not weaken it.
Q – Biden attended a meeting in Mexico in January and mentioned the importance of investing in the semiconductor supply chain in the region. US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo raised the possibility of expanding the semiconductor supply chain in Brazil and spoke with Vice President Geraldo Alckmin. What role could Brazil play in this?
RZ – Brazil has a highly developed industrial base. The US is Brazil’s biggest customer for manufactured and value-added goods not only because of Embraer, but also because of other products. It has strategic aspects in terms of mineral and natural resources, but it also has the technical capacity and scale to exploit this. But we are still starting to try to figure out how this can be applied.
Q – The US received dozens of political prisoners expelled from Nicaragua by the Daniel Ortega regime. Gabriel Boric, from Chile, volunteered to receive some dissidents. Can Brazil help?
RZ – We received with open arms the 222 people who arrived in the US on February 9th. But it is crucial that we do not lose sight of the abuses against Nicaraguan society and against those people who were allowed to leave but had their nationality withdrawn. It is a weapon of terror against the population. We should work together to end these terrible practices. Brazil has an important role to play as a defender of democracy and human rights. We welcome people who have been released. But subsequent actions, including the 26-year imprisonment of a Catholic bishop who refused to leave the country, send the message that the move was meant to terrorize people, not alleviate suffering.
Q – The Lula government is reopening the embassy in Caracas and has removed restrictions on authorities from the Nicolás Maduro regime. How do you see this?
RZ – Brazil must defend, like the other countries in the Americas, a democratic and negotiated resolution of the political crisis in Caracas. We need to work together, all of us who are affected by the effects of this political and economic crisis, to guarantee a democratic election in 2024. There is interest from everyone, but particularly from Venezuela’s neighbors. The US will work with Brazil, Colombia, other countries in the Americas, Europe and elsewhere to promote a negotiated solution. Talks in Mexico must be resumed and we believe that the best way to resolve this is by establishing conditions for a free and fair election.
Q – Chancellor Mauro Vieira wants the US to reassess flights with immigrants deported to Brazil. Is the US open to this?
RZ – The increase in the number of flights was due to the dramatic increase in the number of Brazilians arriving at the border. It is necessary to ensure that people who are in an irregular situation go through the courts quickly so that, if they are sent back to Brazil, it will be done as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible. This is our goal.
But it is also our goal to work with Brazil to address this historic level of irregular migration across the region. There are more than 10 million people, most of them related to Venezuela, so we need to resolve these issues there. But I believe we have found a lot of room for good collaboration with Brazil in terms of the regional response.
*
X-RAY
RICARDO ZUNIGA, 52
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere at the US Department of State, he is one of the US government’s main policy makers for Brazil. He was consul in São Paulo from 2015 to 2018. Previously, he was senior director for the Western Hemisphere at the National Security Council in the Barack Obama administration, when he was one of those responsible for bringing the US closer to Cuba in 2014. He was born in Honduras and studied international relations and Latin American studies at the University of Virginia.