Brazil President Rousseff
and Cuba dictator Raul Castro at the ribbon cutting
for Cuba's Mariel port. Dilma's predecessor funded the port based on Obama's
assurance that the U.S.
would lift the Cuba embargo. The gamble paid off.
Cuba's Mariel
Port: Warming U.S.-Cuba Ties a Triumph for President Rousseff (Carta Maior, Brazil)
"With
every passing day it becomes clearer what Brazil's 2014 presidential candidates
represented. … On one side was DilmaRousseff - a statesman with vision and a global player
independent of the United States with a progressive program. … On the other, candidates
AécioNeves and Marina
Silva navigated the currents of conservatism, thinking of the immediate future with
no strategic vision, with a project dependent on the United States, with a
conservative program and, in some ways, a reactionary one. … The resumption of
the relations between Cuba and the U.S. established yesterday by President
Obama shows just how great Lula and Dilma are as statesmen
and global leaders, and how unlikely it is that Aécio
is or ever will be one."
With every passing day it becomes clearer what Brazil's 2014
presidential candidates represented.
On one side was DilmaRousseff - a statesman with vision and a global player
independent of the United States with a progressive program.
On the other, candidates AécioNeves and Marina Silva navigated the currents of
conservatism, thinking of the immediate future with no strategic vision, with a
project dependent on the United States, with a conservative program and, in
some ways, a reactionary one.
One of the points that marked this confrontation was the
financing for a Brazilian business, by the Brazilian Development Bank [BDB], for construction of the Port of Mariel
in Cuba.
In a campaign video (click here) that aired
on September 15, Aéciocommited
two barbarities: lying about financing for the Port of Mariel project in Cuba
and stating it was intended for the Cuban government, when in fact it was for Brazilian
company Odebrecht; and suggesting nonexistent Brazilian
port chaos to “justify” calls for the Brazilian government to prioritize
investing here and not there.
The attack on Odebrecht’s
financing for the construction of the port showed the smallness of a man who presented
himself as a statesman. What was at stake in Aécio's attack
on Dilma was the consolidation within the
conservative right of his position to be more royal than
a king.
Yes, in the United States, the business community wants
trade relations with Cuba - and they began some time ago. The problem, however,
has been the incapacity to trade with credit to be paid on installment.
Everything has to be paid up front because of the embargo that I believe will
soon be suspended.
One might ask, if the U.S. business community
favors trade relations with Cuba, what prevents a lifting of the embargo? From
what I could tell, those who don’t support a suspension are from the colony of
Cubans who live in the U.S. and carry a lot of electoral influence.
Given his ideological trivialization of this issue, Aécio
showed that he did not at all agree with the evaluation of the Federação das Indústrias do
Estado de São Paulo [Industrial Federation of the State of Sao Paulo or FIESP], which brings together much of Brazilian business.
To back up what I'm saying, listen (click here) to what ThomazZanotto, FIESP's director of infrastructure, said in an interview with
Record
News. Zanotto explains in detail why BDB financing of Odebrecht for
construction of the Port of Mariel was one of Brazil's greatest strategic goals.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
According to the Brazil
Communication Company news site, work at the Port of Mariel carried out by Odebrecht required an investment of $957 million which was
financed by the BDB. Of that amount, $682 million was
contributed by Brazil. In return, there was the requirement that at least $802
million of the total was spent on the purchase of Brazilian goods and services.
Even that wasn't enough to move Mr. Aécio.
The resumption of the relations between Cuba and the U.S.
established yesterday by President Obama shows just great [former President] Lula
and Dilma are as statesmen and global leaders, and
how unlikely it is that Aécio is or ever will be one.
What is expected starting today is a statement of self-criticism
from Aécio and his allies for the harsh criticism
they made of Brazilian government support for the Cuban Port of Mariel. Will he
be big enough to do so?
*José Augusto Valente is a specialist in transportation infrastructure
