Diplomacia e Relações Internacionais

Bolivia: o grande "rapto" do Senador; script de um filme? - David Fleischer

Brazil Focus – David Fleischer

Special Report-26 Aug. 2013

Bolivian Senator Flees [escapes] to Brazil – Patriota Resigns

On Saturday, 24^th August, while he was having lunch in Vitória, ES, Sen. Ricardo Ferraço (PMDB-ES) received a telephone call from the DCM (number two) at the Brazilian Embassy in La Paz in Bolivia – Eduardo Saboia – who informed him that he had set in motion a plan to extract Bolivian Senator Roger Pinto Molina from Bolivia to seek refuge [political asylum] in Brazil.

Ferraço became aware of this “plan” during his two visits to Bolivia to attempt to gain the release of some soccer fans from the Corinthians futbol club who had been detained after a flare had been detonated during a soccer game that hit a young Bolivian soccer fan in the face and killed him. Ferraço is the President of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and in that capacity he went to Bolivia to seek the release of this group of Brazilian soccer fans –and met Bolivian Opposition Senator Roger Pinto Molina who had sought refuge (granted) in the Brazilian embassy in La Paz. ..

Saboia informed Ferraço that he had the Senator in his diplomatic automobile travelling toward Corumbá, MT where they would cross into Brazil and were drawing near to the border. Ferraço called a local businessman in Vitória (name not revealed) who agreed to put his executive jet plane at the disposal of this “rescue mission” and that same afternoon Ferraço (with the pilot and copilot) flew from Vitória to Corumbá. At the Corumbá airport, Ferraço was met by a Brazilian Federal Police officer who informed him that the Senator would soon arrive at the airport under police escort. Senator Molina and Saboia were holed up in a Corumbá hotel after the federal police secured their safe border crossing. The executive jet then flew Ferraço and Senator Molina to Brasília where they arrived just after midnight, early Sunday morning, 25^th August. Ferraço offered to host Molina at his home in Brasília but he preferred to stay at the home of his Brazilian lawyer, Fernando Tibúrcio, in the Lago Norte neighborhood. Ferraço planned to have Senator Molina give testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, 27^th August.

This episode began on 26^thMay 2012, when Senator Roger Pinto Molina – a very vocal Opposition senator – sought political asylum in the Brazilian Embassy in La Paz. He was threatened with arrest by President Evo Morales who accused him of various “crimes”. Molina had accused Morales of involvement with drug traffic. On 8^thJune 2012, Brazil granted political asylum to Senator Molina but the Bolivian government refused to grant a “safe conduct” order for him to go to the La Paz airport to fly to Brazil. On 2^ndMarch 2013 a bilateral commission was formed to “analyze” this case [a minuet of “make believe”, according to Saboia]. Last week, Saboia became fearful that the senator might commit suicide over the weekend and an independent medical report confirmed this fear. Molina had been confined in a small room within the Embassy for 455 days.

Thus, Saboia took action “on his own” reportedly without any consultation with Itamaraty in Brasília, put the senator in his own diplomatic car and began the 1,600 Km drive to Corumbá. Reportedly, Itamaraty became very “irritated” by this case. However, Saboia did not make this long (22-hour) road trip alone with the senator in his car. He was accompanied by FIVE heavily armed Brazilian Federal Police officers and two Brazilian Navy marines in two diplomatic cars. They were stopped several times by Bolivian highway police but were not molested because of the cars’ diplomatic license plates. How could these officials have left Brazil for La Paz with any knowledge by Itamaraty? Why was their arrival in La Paz not perceived by Bolivian authorities? Did they make a clandestine road trip from Corumbá to La Paz? Apparently, the Bolivian intelligence service did not have Saboia’s phone under cyber surveillance.

è Probably,Bolivia did not receive any “technical assistance” from NSA/CIA as in the case

of Brazil.

Obviously, Eduardo Saboia will not be able to return to his post in La Paz and Itamaraty will have to quickly find a replacement, perhaps the posting of a new ambassador. However,Saboia’s wife’ (also a Brazilian diplomat) and children remain in Bolivia where she is consul-general in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Two comments circulated in Brasília regarding this episode:

1) This case resembled a Mossad operation;

2) Probably Saboia will be “rewarded” with a promotion to Ambassador rank

and will be sent to represent Brazil in Burkina Faso; and

3) This episode should produce a great screenplay and be made into a movie.

On Monday, Senator Ferraço delivered a speech to the Senate floor where he praised the actions taken by Eduardo Saboia and warned Itamaraty not to “punish” him for his “heroic initiative”.

Although Itamaraty had requested that Saboia not give any press interviews, because his name was formally cited in the Foreign Ministry note disclaiming any knowledge of Senator Molina’s escape that had been articulated by Saboia, he decided to give an exclusive interview with the TV Globo “Fantástico” Sunday evening program explaining his point of view. He explained that in truth he did not have to formally ask authorization from Itamaraty because the Senator’s life was in danger and his decision was of a “humanitarian” nature”.

This episode “boiled over” on Monday and that afternoon, Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota submitted his letter of resignation personally to Pres. Dilma Rousseff. Apparently, this was the “last straw” from Dilma’s point of view – because the press has cited several cases of her “dissatisfaction” with Patriota’s performance (or lack thereof) over the past year-and-a-half. She feels that he is “weak”, indecisive, and does not “command” the Foreign Ministry very well.

BUT in essence, Patriota was “kicked upstairs” to be Brazil’s Ambassador to the UN, replacing Ambassador Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado (58) – Brazil’s current Ambassador to the UN – a “switch”. Figueiredo arrived in Brasília on Tuesday, 27^th August – just in time to accompany Pres. Dilma to the Unasur meeting.

Eduardo Saboia met with the Secretary-General (number two) at Itamaraty – Eduardo dos Santos – and with Ambassador Antonio Simões on Monday. Later that same afternoon, diplomat Eduardo Saboia was “suspended” from his post in La Paz – very obviously the Bolivian government would not allow him to return. In addition, Itamaraty decided to form a commission of three diplomats to investigate Saboia’s participation in this case. Depending on the result, this investigation might be transformed into a disciplinary procedure. The latter might result in a simple oral admonishment or to Saboia being fired.

However, the Brazilian press quickly discovered that “informally” the Bolivian government had suggested that Brazil consider the exit of Senator Molina by land, but without a “safe-conduct” pass and that his car might be attacked (by drug traffickers??). Itamaraty did not consider this “option” as viable (too risky), but in the end, Eduardo Saboia decided on that “risky option”.

Formally, the Bolivian Foreign Minister “complained” about this episode and asked Brazil to “extradite” Senator Molina back to Bolivia. Of course this will not happen.

It remains to be seen, how Itamaraty will “treat” Eduardo Saboia. If he suffers any “visible punishment”, Senator Ricardo Ferraço will be quick in his defense – as will be the Brazilian media.

è Stay tuned!!!!

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