LeMieux ends stall on Brazil ambassador

Florida Sen. George Le-Mieux dropped his opposition Thursday to the Obama administration’s new ambassador to Brazil, saying he won commitments from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on areas of concern — including Honduras and Cuba.

The Florida Republican said he secured assurances from Clinton that the U.S. will normalize relations with Honduras and jump-start stalled democracy grants to nonprofits looking to work in Cuba.

The State Department was more circumspect. Arturo Valenzuela, the assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, wrote to LeMieux that the department would “take steps to normalize relations with Honduras” as it sees progress by the new government “in implementing the principles” of a diplomatic accord brokered in October.

LeMieux said he expected his move would pave the way for Thomas Shannon to be confirmed as ambassador to Brazil, the biggest country in Latin America and a growing regional power ruled by a moderate-left president whom the U.S. is hoping will counter far-leftist leaders in the region.

LeMieux’s stall on Shannon had drawn criticism from a cadre of former assistant secretaries of state, who said the prolonged vacancy threatened to damage relations with a key ally. Senate rules permit a single senator to block appointments and legislation. Senate staffers had suggested that the hold was more about LeMieux looking to make points with Cuban Americans as the man who appointed him to the Senate, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, faces a Cuban-American opponent in the Republican primary for the Senate seat.

Shannon had triggered the ire of South Florida Cuban Americans who believed he wasn’t tough enough on the Castro regime during his tenure as a former assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs under President George W. Bush.

LeMieux dismissed the criticism, saying, “I’m doing what I think is right. . . . I think that for our national security interests as well as our respect for the people of Latin America we have to push democratic initiatives.”

His move drew plaudits from Miami Republican Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, who said in a joint statement that Le-

Mieux “has already become a force to be reckoned with in Western Hemispheric affairs.”

LeMieux put up his block against Shannon on Nov. 6, the day after South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint dropped a similar hold, saying he had won concessions from the administration over its handling of the crisis in Honduras.

LeMieux said he got assurances from Clinton “that we were not going to negotiate away democracy assistance in exchange for this person’s return.