A Visita do Embaixador Americano ao RGS com passagem pelo Grupo RBS
Ambassador subsequently granted on- the-record interviews for "Zero Hora" and the radio network. Pedro Parente, who was Chief of Staff (cabinet rank) for former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB), is Executive Vice President of RBS.
Este Documento foi Obtido por meio da Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) EUA e Copiado dos Arquivos do Wikileaks (Lei de Liberdade de Informação América).
Documento liberado pelos arquivos da Organização de Transparência Wikileaks (Já Disponível pela FOIA) mostra a visita do Embaixador Americano John Danilovich ao Rio Grande do Sul. No ano de 2005, Danilovich faz varias visitas a empresas norte-americanas sediadas no RGS, a empresas gauchas, a PUCRS (TECNOPUC) , a FIERGS , e ao governador gaúcho Germano Rigotto, ao Prefeito de Porto Alegre José Fogaça e também fez um discurso bem-recebido sobre o futuro do trabalho no XVIII - Fórum da Liberdade e um "Surpreendente" Almoço Off-The-Record ao Grupo RBS.
O Embaixador Americano visitou o Grupo de Mídia RBS, o qual ele adjetiva de o "maior grupo regional de comunicações da América Latina", que opera nos estados do Rio Grande do Sul e de Santa Catarina. No encontro teve um almoço off-the-record com o conselho editorial da RBS" no qual o Vice-Presidente Executivo do Grupo, Pedro Parente, é classificado como "o que era chefe do gabinete (classificação de gabinete) para o ex-presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB), e agora é Vice-Presidente Executivo da RBS e completa "Temos tradicionalmente excelente acesso e as relações com o grupo". Para Coroar a sua Visita a Corporação Midiática Gaucha, ouviu o presidente do Conselho de Administração Jayme Sirotsky, que é um Ex-Presidente da Associação Mundial de Jornais (WAN), qualificar o então Presidente da Venezuela Hugo Chaves de Louco: - "Ele é louco". Certamente, John Danilovich, saiu satisfeito ao ouvir a adjetivação. Deve-se perguntar porque o Conselho Editorial de Uma Empresa de Mídia no Brasil que prega Pela Transparência dos Governos, não pode divulgar suas conversas com o Embaixador Americano na sua intregralidade? O Que teriam conversado que o documento omite? Outrossim, qual a razão de ter um ex-ministro ligado ao PSDB e as privatizações em sua Vice-Presidência? Será que o Manual de Ética do Grupo RBS não aconselha a Transparência nestes casos? Na realidade, aplica-se a este fato, o velho Clichê: Faça o que digo, mas não faça o que faço.
Embaixador Americano no Brazil em 2005
Visitando a fiergs ouviu do Presidente da época: "O futuro é a ALCA não o Mercosul.", mostrando a Falta de Visão dos Empresários Gaúchos em relação ao comércio Global ou apenas se deixando levar pela Ideologia, já que se dava os primeiro anos do governo petista liderado pelo Presidente Lula, que sucedeu o liberal Fernando Henrique Cardoso do PSDB que tinha posições de submissão a política do Consenso de Washington ( FMI, o Banco Mundial e o Departamento do Tesouro dos Estados Unidos).
FHC O Bobo da Corte?
Abaixo publicamos o documento original e sua tradução obtido dos Arquivos Wikileaks. Leia e tire suas conclusões:
| AMBASSADOR VISIT TO RIO GRANDE DO SUL | |
2005 May 23, 20:17 (Monday) | 05SAOPAULO624_a |
UNCLASSIFIED,FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | UNCLASSIFIED,FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY |
-- Not Assigned -- | 14445 |
-- Not Assigned -- | TEXT ONLINE |
BR - Brazil | EAGR - Economic Affairs--Agriculture and Forestry |EINV - Economic Affairs--Investments; Foreign Investments | ENRG - Economic Affairs--Energy and Power |ETRD - Economic Affairs--Foreign Trade | KIPR - Intellectual Property Rights | PGOV - Political Affairs--Government; Internal Governmental Affairs | PINR - Political Affairs--Intelligence | PREL - Political Affairs--External Political Relations | SCUL - Social Affairs--Cultural Affairs | SOCI - Social Affairs--Social Conditions | |
-- Not Assigned -- | TE - Telegram (cable) |
-- N/A or Blank -- -- N/A or Blank -- | -- Not Assigned -- |
-- Not Assigned -- | |
-- N/A or Blank -- | |
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1. (U) Summary: Ambassador, accompanied by officers from
Consulate General Sao Paulo, visited Porto Alegre, capital
of Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul, May 1-
3. During the visit, Ambassador met with the governor and
the mayor; toured the modern General Motors and Dell
Computers factories; met with the local American Chamber of
Commerce and the state industrial association; gave an
interview to the largest local media group; gave a speech on
labor issues at the Liberty Forum; met the leadership of the
Pontifical Catholic University and toured their impressive
technological center, where companies like Microsoft, Dell,
and Hewlett Packard have operations; visited the Binational
Cultural Center and the U.S. Consular Agent; and, toured
several of the city's museums and the harbor. The trip
offered a wonderful opportunity to highlight the very
substantial engagement in so many areas between the U.S. and
Rio Grande do Sul. End Summary.
Rio Grande do Sul: Land of the Gauchos
---------------------------------------
2. (U) Rio Grande do Sul is Brazil's dynamic southernmost
state, with a population of 10.4 million and an area of
281,000 square kilometers. The "guachos," as the state's
residents call themselves, are largely of German and Italian
descent and have among the highest per capita GDP (USD
4,046 in 2003) and literacy rates in the country. The
state's diversified economy, with a 2003 GDP of USD 42.5
billion, is Brazil's fourth largest. The state produces
13.4 percent of national agriculture, especially rice (48
percent), tobacco (48 percent), grapes (54 percent), and
wheat (30 percent). It is also the third largest soybean
producing state, and the fifth largest in number of cattle.
The industrial sector (second in the country in 2003)
produces everything from shoes to electrical equipment,
vehicles, agricultural machinery, petrochemicals, and
computers.
3. (U) A number of U.S. companies operate in Rio Grande do
Sul, including General Motors, Dell Computers, International
Engines (exporting to South Africa), John Deere, and Massey
Ferguson (tractors). Rio Grande do Sul ranked second in
exports (USD 8 billion, 11 percent of national exports in
2003), with 23.5 percent going to the U.S., 10 percent to
neighboring Argentina, seven percent to China, and three
percent each to the U.K, Germany, and Chile. Main exports
are shoes, computers, tobacco, machinery, meat, and
soybeans.
4. (SBU) Politically, the gauchos have a voice in the Lula
Administration, with four cabinet ministers hailing from the
state, though the gaucho PT has tended to be more leftist
and less influential within the Administration than
President Lula's more moderate PT faction (Articulacao).
General Motors on a Roll
------------------------
5. (U) The first official stop on the visit was to the
impressive General Motors (GM) plant in Gravatai, 32
kilometers outside Porto Alegre, part of an automotive
assembly industrial park designed and built to produce GM's
successful economy car, the Celta. 17 parts suppliers (some
of them American) helped design the complex, share the joint
expenses of operation, and operate their own factories. The
USD 700 million investment (USD 350 million by GM, USD 200
million by the suppliers, and USD 150 million by the state
government) began production in January 2000 and employs
3,500 workers (1,600 by GM, 1900 by the suppliers). The
unionized workers have an average take home-pay of about USD
400 per month and receive subsidized meals, transportation,
and medical service.
6. (U) Production costs are kept down by using just-in-time
production techniques and limiting model options (only 120
build combinations, versus the typical plant's 5,000-7,000
combinations), allowing a retail price for the Celta of
21,000-25,000 reals (USD 8,400 to 10,000). In 2004, the
plant produced 136,000 cars, with about ten percent of
production exported to Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and
Central America. GM executives said the company will invest
USD 240 million over the next two years to expand production
to 250,000 cars a year and boost exports to 40 percent. The
Celta will soon be offered in a flex-fuel mode (using either
gasoline or ethanol). (Comment: A similar plant planned by
Ford in the late 1990s was held up by the then-PT state
governor, with the resultant loss of the plant and jobs to
Bahia state. GM's other operations in Brazil are reportedly
doing less well, with talk of possible future layoffs at
other plants. End Comment).
Dell Computer's Gray Future
---------------------------
7. (SBU) While Rio Grande do Sul's economic outlook is
mostly bright, a visit to Dell Computer's factory in
Eldorado do Sul, just outside Porto Alegre, provided a
cautionary tale of how investment can be hurt by lack of
government action against illegality. The rented facility,
which opened in November 1999 and was a USD two million
investment, produces about 400,000 personal computers (PCs,
retailing in Brazil for USD 500-600), servers, laptops,
projectors, and peripherals a year. It is Dell's only
manufacturing facility in Latin America. About 62 percent
of production is for the Brazilian market, with the rest
exported to the rest of Latin America. The plant directly
employs 700 workers, with an additional 600 employed as
service contractors (including a call service center in
Portuguese).
8. (SBU) Although Dell worldwide is doing quite well, Dell
executives lamented the poor outlook for the company in
Brazil, noting that a planned move to an expanded permanent
facility had been scrapped. The culprit is the expanding
"gray market," or the assembly of computers using smuggled
parts upon which no duties have been paid. There are about
ten major "gray" dealers who illegally import parts, then
have dozens of small shops assembly them for retail sale at
about USD 350 each, thus undercutting Dell and other legal
producers (like IBM and Hewlett Packard). In five years, the
percentage of the gray market for PCs in Brazil has
skyrocketed from about 50 percent to 75 percent today,
(Mexico, in contrast, is about 50 percent). As a result,
despite an overall steady growth in the demand for PCs and
other products, the legal companies are left to fight over a
shrinking market share of mainly corporate customers (only
ten percent of Dell's PCs are sold to individuals who are
willing to pay more for better service). Dell executives
said they are pushing a law that would require GOB agencies
to purchase PCs only from companies that could prove all
parts were purchased legitimately, emphasizing in their
lobbying how much tax revenue is being lost by allowing the
sale of gray products.
FIERGS - Bullish Outlook
------------------------
9. (U) Ambassador met with incoming Industrial Federation of
the State of Rio Grande do Sul (FIERGS) President Paulo
Tigre and its board of directors, and toured their
impressive facility, which includes a large auditorium and
exposition center. Created in 1937, FIERGS has 34,000
member companies in 111 industry sectors that collectively
employ 580,000 workers. Rio Grande do Sul is usually the
second largest exporter of all Brazilian states (after Sao
Paulo), though due to a recent drought it is currently third
after Minas Gerais. FIERGS leadership expressed full
support for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
process, noting their state sends significant exports to the
U.S. and commenting, "the future is FTAA, not Mercosul."
A Young and Growing Amcham
--------------------------
10. (U) Ambassador enjoyed a wide-ranging exchange of views
on economic and political issues with leadership of the
American Chamber of Commerce branch office in Porto Alegre
at a breakfast hosted by President Carlos Biedermann (Price
Waterhouse). The Amcham chapter in Porto Alegre, affiliated
with the Sao Paulo Amcham, was founded in 1998 and has 600
members. They believe Rio Grande do Sul is the state with
the second largest number of American companies, after Sao
Paulo.
RBS Media Group
---------------
11. (U) Ambassador had an off-the-record lunch with the
editorial board of RBS Media Group, Latin America's largest
regional communications group, operating in the states of
Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. RBS, which has 900
reporters, owns newspaper "Zero Hora" (circulation 205,000)
and five other newspapers, 18 television stations affiliated
with TV Globo (and two independent stations), Gaucha Sat
Network of 120 radio stations in ten states (and 25
independent radio stations), and internet portal, and many
supporting enterprises. Ambassador subsequently granted on-
the-record interviews for "Zero Hora" and the radio network.
Pedro Parente, who was Chief of Staff (cabinet rank) for
former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB), is
Executive Vice President of RBS. (Note: We have
traditionally had excellent access and relations with the
group. End Note).
12. (SBU) During the general conversation, Chairman of the
Board Jayme Sirotsky, who is a former President of the World
Association of Newspapers, recounted how he and other
international members went to see Venezuela's President
Chavez to register their concern about recent governmental
restrictions on freedom of the press in Venezuela. Although
Chavez agreed to see them, he was quite rude and basically
threw the visiting delegation out. His appreciation of
Chavez after meeting him up close: "He's crazy." The
executives revealed that one of their recent radio polls
found their listeners in the state about evenly split in
their feelings toward the Venezuelan president (who was in
Porto Alegre earlier in the year for the World Social
Forum).
The American Presence: Binational Center, Consular Agency
--------------------------------------------- ------------
13. (U) Ambassador toured the Brazilian-American Cultural
Center, founded in 1938, which teaches English and other
courses to 8,000 students a year and provides library and
other services to the community. He also visited the co-
located Consular Agency, headed by American Citizen Debra
Godoy. (Comment: With the closure of the U.S. Consulate in
1997, still a sore point with state residents and officials,
our Consular Agent and Foreign Commercial Service FSN
Roberto Muhlbach (located in a separate office) provide the
only official USG presence in Porto Alegre; the Binational
Center, though no longer officially linked to the USG, is a
highly visible presence that has been the focal point of
anti-American demonstrations in the past. End Comment).
Liberty Forum and PUCRS University
----------------------------------
14. (U) Ambassador gave a well-received speech on the future
of labor at the XVIII Liberty Forum, an international
conference sponsored by a Brazilian organization that looks
broadly at national problems. Ambassador subsequently met
with Rector Joaquim Clotet and a number of senior faculty
and administrators (many U.S.-educated) of the Catholic
Pontifical University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). Founded
in 1931, PUCRS has six campuses or centers throughout the
state with 33,000 students in 26 schools, 24 masters
programs, and 16 doctoral programs. Clotet emphasized the
close relationship PUCRS has with a number of U.S.
universities in many fields.
TECNOPUC's High Tech Success
----------------------------
15. (U) A visit to the PUCRS Technological Park (TECNOPUC)
showcased the wonderful potential of bringing business and
higher learning together. Opened in 2001 on land and
buildings acquired from the Brazilian Army, TECNOPUC is
Brazil's biggest and most advanced technological research
park (beating out parks in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and
Recife), according to officials. It has 1,800 employees,
and companies provide scholarships and projects for
students, many of whom are hired full-time after graduation.
The park has had greatest success in information technology,
with companies like Dell Computers, Hewlett Packard,
Microsoft and a number of Brazilian and European
counterparts working on international projects at the
direction of their headquarters (like developing software
and testing equipment), as well as doing work for Brazilian
clients. TECNOPUC will build a new 15-story building to
house new tenants (Motorola will begin operations soon).
16. (SBU) The park is also trying, so far less successfully,
to attract companies in two other areas: clean energy and
health sciences. Officials admitted that Brazil's chaotic
electrical energy regime inhibits research in energy, while
the inability to get effective patent protection has driven
off interested parties in health science (Merck and SBKline
were two pharmaceutical giants who recently abandoned
preliminary plans to set up shop at TECNOPUC). The only
health research being conducted is for a tuberculosis drug
paid for by the GOB.
Meetings with Governor and Mayor
--------------------------------
17. (U) Capping off a highly productive visit, Ambassador
met with the region's political authorities. After a formal
reception, with national anthems and a military police honor
guard and band, Ambassador met with Rio Grande do Sul
Governor Germano Rigotto (PMDB) and his senior advisors.
During the animated, wide-ranging discussion, the Governor
explained his plans to bring shipbuilders and orange juice
exporters to his state and discussed biodiesel and trade
missions. Ambassador separately paid a courtesy call on
Porto Alegre Mayor Jose Alberto Fogaca (PPS), who
surprisingly forged a coalition to end 16 years of Workers
Party (PT) municipal rule in last October's local elections.
Duddy
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
1. (U) Summary: Ambassador, accompanied by officers from
Consulate General Sao Paulo, visited Porto Alegre, capital
of Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul, May 1-
3. During the visit, Ambassador met with the governor and
the mayor; toured the modern General Motors and Dell
Computers factories; met with the local American Chamber of
Commerce and the state industrial association; gave an
interview to the largest local media group; gave a speech on
labor issues at the Liberty Forum; met the leadership of the
Pontifical Catholic University and toured their impressive
technological center, where companies like Microsoft, Dell,
and Hewlett Packard have operations; visited the Binational
Cultural Center and the U.S. Consular Agent; and, toured
several of the city's museums and the harbor. The trip
offered a wonderful opportunity to highlight the very
substantial engagement in so many areas between the U.S. and
Rio Grande do Sul. End Summary.
Rio Grande do Sul: Land of the Gauchos
---------------------------------------
2. (U) Rio Grande do Sul is Brazil's dynamic southernmost
state, with a population of 10.4 million and an area of
281,000 square kilometers. The "guachos," as the state's
residents call themselves, are largely of German and Italian
descent and have among the highest per capita GDP (USD
4,046 in 2003) and literacy rates in the country. The
state's diversified economy, with a 2003 GDP of USD 42.5
billion, is Brazil's fourth largest. The state produces
13.4 percent of national agriculture, especially rice (48
percent), tobacco (48 percent), grapes (54 percent), and
wheat (30 percent). It is also the third largest soybean
producing state, and the fifth largest in number of cattle.
The industrial sector (second in the country in 2003)
produces everything from shoes to electrical equipment,
vehicles, agricultural machinery, petrochemicals, and
computers.
3. (U) A number of U.S. companies operate in Rio Grande do
Sul, including General Motors, Dell Computers, International
Engines (exporting to South Africa), John Deere, and Massey
Ferguson (tractors). Rio Grande do Sul ranked second in
exports (USD 8 billion, 11 percent of national exports in
2003), with 23.5 percent going to the U.S., 10 percent to
neighboring Argentina, seven percent to China, and three
percent each to the U.K, Germany, and Chile. Main exports
are shoes, computers, tobacco, machinery, meat, and
soybeans.
4. (SBU) Politically, the gauchos have a voice in the Lula
Administration, with four cabinet ministers hailing from the
state, though the gaucho PT has tended to be more leftist
and less influential within the Administration than
President Lula's more moderate PT faction (Articulacao).
General Motors on a Roll
------------------------
5. (U) The first official stop on the visit was to the
impressive General Motors (GM) plant in Gravatai, 32
kilometers outside Porto Alegre, part of an automotive
assembly industrial park designed and built to produce GM's
successful economy car, the Celta. 17 parts suppliers (some
of them American) helped design the complex, share the joint
expenses of operation, and operate their own factories. The
USD 700 million investment (USD 350 million by GM, USD 200
million by the suppliers, and USD 150 million by the state
government) began production in January 2000 and employs
3,500 workers (1,600 by GM, 1900 by the suppliers). The
unionized workers have an average take home-pay of about USD
400 per month and receive subsidized meals, transportation,
and medical service.
6. (U) Production costs are kept down by using just-in-time
production techniques and limiting model options (only 120
build combinations, versus the typical plant's 5,000-7,000
combinations), allowing a retail price for the Celta of
21,000-25,000 reals (USD 8,400 to 10,000). In 2004, the
plant produced 136,000 cars, with about ten percent of
production exported to Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and
Central America. GM executives said the company will invest
USD 240 million over the next two years to expand production
to 250,000 cars a year and boost exports to 40 percent. The
Celta will soon be offered in a flex-fuel mode (using either
gasoline or ethanol). (Comment: A similar plant planned by
Ford in the late 1990s was held up by the then-PT state
governor, with the resultant loss of the plant and jobs to
Bahia state. GM's other operations in Brazil are reportedly
doing less well, with talk of possible future layoffs at
other plants. End Comment).
Dell Computer's Gray Future
---------------------------
7. (SBU) While Rio Grande do Sul's economic outlook is
mostly bright, a visit to Dell Computer's factory in
Eldorado do Sul, just outside Porto Alegre, provided a
cautionary tale of how investment can be hurt by lack of
government action against illegality. The rented facility,
which opened in November 1999 and was a USD two million
investment, produces about 400,000 personal computers (PCs,
retailing in Brazil for USD 500-600), servers, laptops,
projectors, and peripherals a year. It is Dell's only
manufacturing facility in Latin America. About 62 percent
of production is for the Brazilian market, with the rest
exported to the rest of Latin America. The plant directly
employs 700 workers, with an additional 600 employed as
service contractors (including a call service center in
Portuguese).
8. (SBU) Although Dell worldwide is doing quite well, Dell
executives lamented the poor outlook for the company in
Brazil, noting that a planned move to an expanded permanent
facility had been scrapped. The culprit is the expanding
"gray market," or the assembly of computers using smuggled
parts upon which no duties have been paid. There are about
ten major "gray" dealers who illegally import parts, then
have dozens of small shops assembly them for retail sale at
about USD 350 each, thus undercutting Dell and other legal
producers (like IBM and Hewlett Packard). In five years, the
percentage of the gray market for PCs in Brazil has
skyrocketed from about 50 percent to 75 percent today,
(Mexico, in contrast, is about 50 percent). As a result,
despite an overall steady growth in the demand for PCs and
other products, the legal companies are left to fight over a
shrinking market share of mainly corporate customers (only
ten percent of Dell's PCs are sold to individuals who are
willing to pay more for better service). Dell executives
said they are pushing a law that would require GOB agencies
to purchase PCs only from companies that could prove all
parts were purchased legitimately, emphasizing in their
lobbying how much tax revenue is being lost by allowing the
sale of gray products.
FIERGS - Bullish Outlook
------------------------
9. (U) Ambassador met with incoming Industrial Federation of
the State of Rio Grande do Sul (FIERGS) President Paulo
Tigre and its board of directors, and toured their
impressive facility, which includes a large auditorium and
exposition center. Created in 1937, FIERGS has 34,000
member companies in 111 industry sectors that collectively
employ 580,000 workers. Rio Grande do Sul is usually the
second largest exporter of all Brazilian states (after Sao
Paulo), though due to a recent drought it is currently third
after Minas Gerais. FIERGS leadership expressed full
support for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
process, noting their state sends significant exports to the
U.S. and commenting, "the future is FTAA, not Mercosul."
A Young and Growing Amcham
--------------------------
10. (U) Ambassador enjoyed a wide-ranging exchange of views
on economic and political issues with leadership of the
American Chamber of Commerce branch office in Porto Alegre
at a breakfast hosted by President Carlos Biedermann (Price
Waterhouse). The Amcham chapter in Porto Alegre, affiliated
with the Sao Paulo Amcham, was founded in 1998 and has 600
members. They believe Rio Grande do Sul is the state with
the second largest number of American companies, after Sao
Paulo.
RBS Media Group
---------------
11. (U) Ambassador had an off-the-record lunch with the
editorial board of RBS Media Group, Latin America's largest
regional communications group, operating in the states of
Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. RBS, which has 900
reporters, owns newspaper "Zero Hora" (circulation 205,000)
and five other newspapers, 18 television stations affiliated
with TV Globo (and two independent stations), Gaucha Sat
Network of 120 radio stations in ten states (and 25
independent radio stations), and internet portal, and many
supporting enterprises. Ambassador subsequently granted on-
the-record interviews for "Zero Hora" and the radio network.
Pedro Parente, who was Chief of Staff (cabinet rank) for
former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB), is
Executive Vice President of RBS. (Note: We have
traditionally had excellent access and relations with the
group. End Note).
12. (SBU) During the general conversation, Chairman of the
Board Jayme Sirotsky, who is a former President of the World
Association of Newspapers, recounted how he and other
international members went to see Venezuela's President
Chavez to register their concern about recent governmental
restrictions on freedom of the press in Venezuela. Although
Chavez agreed to see them, he was quite rude and basically
threw the visiting delegation out. His appreciation of
Chavez after meeting him up close: "He's crazy." The
executives revealed that one of their recent radio polls
found their listeners in the state about evenly split in
their feelings toward the Venezuelan president (who was in
Porto Alegre earlier in the year for the World Social
Forum).
The American Presence: Binational Center, Consular Agency
--------------------------------------------- ------------
13. (U) Ambassador toured the Brazilian-American Cultural
Center, founded in 1938, which teaches English and other
courses to 8,000 students a year and provides library and
other services to the community. He also visited the co-
located Consular Agency, headed by American Citizen Debra
Godoy. (Comment: With the closure of the U.S. Consulate in
1997, still a sore point with state residents and officials,
our Consular Agent and Foreign Commercial Service FSN
Roberto Muhlbach (located in a separate office) provide the
only official USG presence in Porto Alegre; the Binational
Center, though no longer officially linked to the USG, is a
highly visible presence that has been the focal point of
anti-American demonstrations in the past. End Comment).
Liberty Forum and PUCRS University
----------------------------------
14. (U) Ambassador gave a well-received speech on the future
of labor at the XVIII Liberty Forum, an international
conference sponsored by a Brazilian organization that looks
broadly at national problems. Ambassador subsequently met
with Rector Joaquim Clotet and a number of senior faculty
and administrators (many U.S.-educated) of the Catholic
Pontifical University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). Founded
in 1931, PUCRS has six campuses or centers throughout the
state with 33,000 students in 26 schools, 24 masters
programs, and 16 doctoral programs. Clotet emphasized the
close relationship PUCRS has with a number of U.S.
universities in many fields.
TECNOPUC's High Tech Success
----------------------------
15. (U) A visit to the PUCRS Technological Park (TECNOPUC)
showcased the wonderful potential of bringing business and
higher learning together. Opened in 2001 on land and
buildings acquired from the Brazilian Army, TECNOPUC is
Brazil's biggest and most advanced technological research
park (beating out parks in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and
Recife), according to officials. It has 1,800 employees,
and companies provide scholarships and projects for
students, many of whom are hired full-time after graduation.
The park has had greatest success in information technology,
with companies like Dell Computers, Hewlett Packard,
Microsoft and a number of Brazilian and European
counterparts working on international projects at the
direction of their headquarters (like developing software
and testing equipment), as well as doing work for Brazilian
clients. TECNOPUC will build a new 15-story building to
house new tenants (Motorola will begin operations soon).
16. (SBU) The park is also trying, so far less successfully,
to attract companies in two other areas: clean energy and
health sciences. Officials admitted that Brazil's chaotic
electrical energy regime inhibits research in energy, while
the inability to get effective patent protection has driven
off interested parties in health science (Merck and SBKline
were two pharmaceutical giants who recently abandoned
preliminary plans to set up shop at TECNOPUC). The only
health research being conducted is for a tuberculosis drug
paid for by the GOB.
Meetings with Governor and Mayor
--------------------------------
17. (U) Capping off a highly productive visit, Ambassador
met with the region's political authorities. After a formal
reception, with national anthems and a military police honor
guard and band, Ambassador met with Rio Grande do Sul
Governor Germano Rigotto (PMDB) and his senior advisors.
During the animated, wide-ranging discussion, the Governor
explained his plans to bring shipbuilders and orange juice
exporters to his state and discussed biodiesel and trade
missions. Ambassador separately paid a courtesy call on
Porto Alegre Mayor Jose Alberto Fogaca (PPS), who
surprisingly forged a coalition to end 16 years of Workers
Party (PT) municipal rule in last October's local elections.
Duddy
Translate (GOOGLE)
. (U) Resumo: Embaixador, acompanhado por oficiais de
Consulado Geral São Paulo, visitou Porto Alegre, capital
de estado mais ao sul do Brasil do Rio Grande do Sul, 01 de maio -
3. Durante a visita, o embaixador se reuniu com o governador e
o prefeito; visitou o moderno General Motors e Dell
Computadores fábricas; se reuniram com a Câmara Americana de
Comércio e do estado associação industrial; deu uma
entrevista para o maior grupo de mídia local; fez um discurso sobre
questões trabalhistas no Fórum Liberdade; conheceu a liderança do
Pontifícia Universidade Católica e excursionou sua impressionante
centro tecnológico, onde empresas como Microsoft, Dell,
e Hewlett-Packard têm operações; visitou o Binacional
Centro Cultural e os EUA agente consular, e, excursionou
vários dos museus da cidade e do porto. A viagem
ofereceu uma excelente oportunidade para destacar o muito
engajamento substancial em muitas áreas entre os EUA ea
Rio Grande do Sul. Resumo final.
Rio Grande do Sul: Terra dos Gaúchos
---------------------------------------
2. (U) Rio Grande do Sul é dinâmico sul do Brasil
estado, com uma população de 10,4 milhões e uma área de
281.000 quilômetros quadrados. Os "guachos", como o estado
moradores chamam a si mesmos, são em grande parte de alemães e italianos
descida e tem entre os maiores PIB per capita (USD
4.046 em 2003) e as taxas de alfabetização no país. O
economia diversificada Estado, com um PIB de US $ 42,5 2,003
bilhões, é o quarto maior do Brasil. O Estado produz
13,4 por cento da agricultura nacional, especialmente o arroz (48
por cento), tabaco (48 por cento), uva (54 por cento), e
trigo (30 por cento). É também o terceiro maior de soja
estado produtor, ea quinta maior em número de gado.
O setor industrial (segundo no país em 2003)
produz tudo, de sapatos a equipamentos elétricos,
veículos, máquinas agrícolas, petroquímicos, e
computadores.
3. (U) Um número de companhias dos EUA operam no Rio Grande do
Sul, incluindo a General Motors, a Dell Computadores, Internacional
Motores (exportar para África do Sul), John Deere, Massey e
Ferguson (tratores). Rio Grande do Sul ficou em segundo lugar
exportações (US $ 8 bilhões, 11 por cento das exportações nacionais em
2003), com 23,5 por cento indo para os EUA, 10 por cento a
vizinha Argentina, sete por cento para a China, e três
por cento cada para o U.K, Alemanha e Chile. Principais exportações
são sapatos, computadores, máquinas de tabaco, carne e
soja.
4. (SBU) Politicamente, os gaúchos têm uma voz no Lula
Administração, com quatro ministros vindos da
estado, ainda que o PT gaúcho tende a ser mais de esquerda
e menos influente na administração de
Mais moderado do presidente Lula facção PT (Articulação).
General Motors em um rolo
------------------------
5. (U) A paragem primeiro oficial sobre a visita era para o
impressionante General Motors planta (GM) em Gravataí, 32
quilômetros fora de Porto Alegre, parte de um automóvel
montagem do parque industrial projetado e construído para GM
carro econômico bem sucedido, o Celta. 17 partes (alguns fornecedores
deles americanos) ajudou a projetar o complexo, partes da junta
despesas de funcionamento e operam suas próprias fábricas. O
USD investimento 700 milhões (US $ 350 milhões pela GM, USD 200
milhões pelos fornecedores, e US $ 150 milhões por parte do Estado
governo) iniciou a produção em janeiro de 2000 e emprega
3.500 trabalhadores (1.600 pela GM de 1900 pelos fornecedores). O
trabalhadores sindicalizados têm uma média levar para casa salário de cerca de USD
400 por mês e receber refeições subsidiadas, transporte,
e serviço médico.
6. (U) Os custos de produção são mantidos para baixo usando just-in-time
técnicas de produção e as opções de modelo limitantes (apenas 120
construir combinações, contra a planta típica é 5000-7000
combinações), permitindo um preço de varejo para o Celta de
21,000-25,000 de reais (USD 8.400 para 10.000). Em 2004, o
fábrica produziu 136.000 carros, com cerca de 10 por cento do
produção exportada para a Argentina, Uruguai, Paraguai e
América Central. Os executivos da GM disse que a empresa vai investir
240 milhões de dólares ao longo dos próximos dois anos para ampliar a produção
para 250 mil carros por ano e aumentar as exportações para 40 por cento. O
Celta em breve será oferecido em um modo de flex-fuel (usando
gasolina ou etanol). (Comentário: Uma planta semelhante planejado por
Ford no final de 1990 foi realizada pelo estado, então-PT
governador, com a consequente perda da planta e empregos para
Estado da Bahia. Outras operações da GM no Brasil são declaradamente
fazer menos bem, com a conversa de possíveis demissões futuras em
outras plantas. Acabar Comentário).
Futuro Cinza Dell Computer
---------------------------
7. (SBU) Embora a perspectiva econômica do Rio Grande do Sul é
principalmente brilhante, uma visita a fábrica da Dell Computer no
Eldorado do Sul, fora Porto Alegre, desde um
conto preventivo de como o investimento pode ser prejudicado pela falta de
ação do governo contra a ilegalidade. O prédio alugado,
que abriu em Novembro de 1999 e foi um USD dois milhões
investimento, produz cerca de 400 mil computadores pessoais (PCs,
varejo no Brasil por US $ 500-600), servidores, laptops,
projetores e periféricos de um ano. É apenas da Dell
instalação de fabricação na América Latina. Cerca de 62 por cento
da produção é para o mercado brasileiro, com o resto
exportado para o resto da América Latina. A planta diretamente
emprega 700 trabalhadores, com um 600 empregados como
contratantes de serviços (incluindo um centro de serviço de chamada em
Português).
8. (SBU) Embora a Dell em todo o mundo está indo muito bem, a Dell
executivos lamentou a perspectiva ruim para a empresa em
Brasil, observando que um movimento planejado para um permanente expandida
instalação tinha sido desmantelada. O culpado é a expansão
"Mercado cinza", ou a montagem de computadores usando contrabandeados
partes sobre a qual não há direitos foram pagos. Há cerca de
10 maiores "cinzentas" comerciantes que importar ilegalmente partes, em seguida,
tem dezenas de lojas de pequena assembléia-los para venda a retalho em
cerca de US $ 350 cada, anulando assim o Dell e outros legal
produtores (como a IBM ea Hewlett Packard). Em cinco anos, a
percentual do mercado cinza de PCs no Brasil tem
subido de cerca de 50 por cento a 75 por cento de hoje,
(México, em contrapartida, é de cerca de 50 por cento). Como resultado,
apesar de um crescimento global constante na demanda por PCs e
outros produtos, as empresas legais é deixado para lutar por um
encolhendo quota de mercado de clientes, principalmente corporativos (apenas
10 por cento dos PCs da Dell são vendidos para pessoas que são
dispostos a pagar mais por um serviço melhor). Os executivos da Dell
disse que eles estão empurrando uma lei que exige das agências GOB
para comprar PCs apenas de empresas que poderiam ser tudo
peças foram compradas legitimamente, enfatizando em seu
lobby quanta receita fiscal está sendo perdida, permitindo que o
venda de produtos de cinza.
FIERGS - Outlook Bullish
------------------------
Este registro é um extrato parcial do cabo original. O texto completo do cabo original não está disponível.
9. (U) O embaixador se reuniu com Federação das Indústrias de entrada de
do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FIERGS) Presidente Paulo
Tigre e seu conselho de administração, e visitou seu
facilidade impressionante, que inclui um grande auditório e
centro de exposições. Criado em 1937, tem 34.000 FIERGS
empresas-membro em 111 setores da indústria que, coletivamente,
empregam 580.000 trabalhadores. Rio Grande do Sul do é geralmente o
segundo maior exportador de todos os estados brasileiros (depois de São
Paulo), embora devido a uma seca recente atualmente é terceiro
depois de Minas Gerais. Liderança FIERGS expressa completa
apoio à Área de Livre Comércio das Américas (ALCA)
processo, observando seu estado envia exportações significativas para a
EUA e comentando, "o futuro é ALCA não, o Mercosul."
A Amcham jovem e em crescimento
--------------------------
10. (U) O embaixador teve uma ampla troca de pontos de vista
sobre questões políticas e econômicas com a liderança do
Câmara Americana de Comércio filial em Porto Alegre
em um café da manhã oferecido pelo presidente Carlos Biedermann (Preço
Waterhouse). O capítulo Amcham em Porto Alegre, afiliado
com a Amcham São Paulo, foi fundada em 1998 e tem 600
membros. Eles acreditam que o Rio Grande do Sul é o estado com
o segundo maior número de empresas americanas, depois de São
Paulo.
RBS Media Group
---------------
11. (U) O embaixador teve um almoço off-the-record com o
conselho editorial da RBS Media Group, maior da América Latina
grupo regional de comunicações que opera nos estados de
Rio Grande do Sul e Santa Catarina. RBS, que tem 900
repórteres, dono do jornal "Zero Hora" (circulação de 205.000)
e cinco outros jornais, 18 emissoras de televisão afiliadas
com a TV Globo (e duas estações independentes), Gaúcha sab
Rede de 120 estações de rádio em 10 estados (e 25
portal estações de rádio), e internet independente, e muitos
apoio às empresas. Embaixador posteriormente concedidos no
o registro de entrevistas para "Zero Hora" e da rede de rádio.
Pedro Parente, que era chefe de gabinete (classificação de gabinete) para
o ex-presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB), é
Vice-Presidente Executivo da RBS. (Nota: Temos
tradicionalmente excelente acesso e as relações com o
grupo. Nota acabar).
12. (SBU) Durante a conversa geral, presidente da
Conselho de Jayme Sirotsky, que é um ex-presidente do Mundo
Associação de Jornais, contou como ele e outros
membros internacionais foi ver o presidente da Venezuela
Chávez para registrar sua preocupação governamental recentes
restrições à liberdade de imprensa na Venezuela. Embora
Chávez concordou em vê-los, ele foi muito rude e, basicamente,
jogou a delegação visitante para fora. Sua apreciação
Chávez após conhecê-lo de perto: "Ele é louco." O
executivos revelou que uma de suas pesquisas recentes de rádio
encontraram seus ouvintes no estado quase igualmente dividida em
seus sentimentos para com o presidente venezuelano (que estava em
Porto Alegre no início do ano para o Fórum Social Mundial
Fórum).
A presença americana: Centro Binacional, Agência Consular
-------------------------------------------------- -------
13. (U) O embaixador visitou a Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos
Center, fundada em 1938, que ensina Inglês e outros
cursos para 8.000 alunos por ano e fornece biblioteca e
outros serviços para a comunidade. Ele também visitou o co-
localizado Agência Consular, liderado por Debra cidadão americano
Godoy. (Comentário: Com o encerramento do Consulado dos EUA em
1997, ainda um ponto de ferida com os residentes do estado e funcionários,
nosso Agente Consular e FSN Serviço Comercial Estrangeiro
Roberto Muhlbach (localizado em um escritório separado) fornecem a
apenas a presença USG oficial em Porto Alegre, o Binacional
Centro, embora não mais oficialmente ligado ao governo dos EUA, é uma
presença visível que tem sido o ponto focal de
manifestações anti-americanas no passado. Acabar Comentário).
Liberdade Fórum e PUCRS
----------------------------------
14. (U) O embaixador fez um discurso bem-recebido sobre o futuro
de trabalho no XVIII Fórum da Liberdade, uma organização internacional
conferência patrocinada por uma organização brasileira que se parece
amplamente para os problemas nacionais. Embaixador posteriormente conheceu
com o Reitor Joaquim Clotet e um número de professores sênior
e os administradores (muitos educado nos EUA) da Católica
Pontifícia Universidade do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). Fundado
em 1931, a PUCRS tem seis campi ou centros de todo o
estado, com 33.000 alunos em 26 escolas, 24 mestres
programas, e 16 programas de doutorado. Clotet destacou a
PUCRS estreito relacionamento com um número de EUA
universidades em muitos campos.
Sucesso Alta Tecnologia do TECNOPUC
----------------------------
15. (U) Uma visita ao Parque Tecnológico da PUCRS (TECNOPUC)
apresentou o maravilhoso potencial de trazer negócios e
aprender mais juntos. Inaugurado em 2001, na terra e
edifícios adquiridos do Exército Brasileiro, TECNOPUC é
Pesquisa maior e mais avançado do Brasil tecnológica
parque (batendo parques em São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, e
Recife), de acordo com funcionários. Ele tem 1.800 funcionários,
e empresas fornecem bolsas de estudos e projetos para
alunos, muitos dos quais são contratados em tempo integral após a graduação.
O parque tem tido maior sucesso em tecnologia da informação,
com empresas como a Dell Computadores, Hewlett Packard,
Microsoft e um número de brasileiros e europeus
contrapartes que trabalham em projetos internacionais no
direção de sua sede (como o desenvolvimento de software
e teste de equipamentos), bem como fazendo um trabalho para brasileiro
clientes. TECNOPUC vai construir um prédio de 15 andares novo
inquilinos casa nova (Motorola começará a operar em breve).
16. (SBU) O parque também está tentando, de forma muito menos com sucesso,
para atrair empresas em duas outras áreas: energia limpa e
ciências da saúde. Funcionários admitiu que o Brasil é caótica
regime de energia elétrica inibe a pesquisa em energia, enquanto
a incapacidade de obter protecção eficaz das patentes tem impulsionado
fora as partes interessadas em Ciências da Saúde (Merck e SBKline
dois gigantes farmacêuticos que recentemente abandonadas
planos preliminares se estabelecerem no TECNOPUC). A única
pesquisa em saúde sendo realizado é para uma droga tuberculose
pago pelo GOB.
Reuniões com o governador e prefeito
--------------------------------
17. (U) Completando uma visita muito produtiva, Embaixador
se reuniu com autoridades políticas da região. Após um formal
recepção, com hinos nacionais e uma honra policial militar
guarda e banda, o embaixador se reuniu com o Rio Grande do Sul
Governador Germano Rigotto (PMDB) e seus assessores seniores.
Durante a animação, ampla discussão, o Governador
explicou seus planos para trazer construtores navais e suco de laranja
exportadores para seu estado e biodiesel discutidos e comércio
missões. Embaixador separadamente paga uma visita de cortesia
Porto Alegre prefeito José Alberto Fogaça (PPS), que
surpreendentemente forjou uma coalizão para acabar com 16 anos de Trabalhadores
Festa regra (PT) nas eleições municipais locais outubro passado.
Duddy
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