Brazil Cancels Preparations for Rousseff U.S. Trip over Spying Reports
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff has halted advance preparations for a Washington visit, officials said Thursday, amid a row over reports she was targeted by U.S. spies.
A spokeswoman for Rousseff said a trip by a Brazilian delegation to prepare for the president's October 23 visit to Washington "was cancelled."
The spokeswoman did not say why the trip was cancelled, or whether it might rescheduled, but it comes after Brazil demanded explanations from Washington for reports that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) spied on her communications.
Rousseff, who is in Saint Petersburg, Russia for a G20 meeting that includes U.S. President Barack Obama, "wants a retraction by the government of the United States," the spokeswoman said.
A Brazilian foreign ministry spokesman told Agence France Presse "the technical mission was postponed" and added that "the expectation is it will take place" later.
"We are waiting for a formal explanation from the U.S. government," he said. He said it has not been provided so far.
Asked whether Rousseff would meet with Obama on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, the presidential spokeswoman said "there is still nothing planned but she still has until tomorrow."
U.S. national security spokesman Ben Rhodes told reporters in St Petersburg that the White House had not been informed of any delay to planning for Rousseff's visit Washington and planned talks with Obama.
"I'm not aware of that. I know that they are seeing each other. I think they're seating next to each other at the G20 sessions actually, so I'm sure they'll have an opportunity to talk," he said.
"I addressed this earlier today, in terms of our commitment to work with them, to understand their concern around the NSA issue, that's what we'll continue to do."
The October 23 visit would be Rousseff's first to Washington, and the first state visit by a foreign leader this year.
A Brazilian delegation had been scheduled to travel to Washington on Saturday to prepare for the presidential visit.
U.S. journalist Glenn Greenwald, who obtained files on U.S. electronic surveillance programs from former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, reported Sunday that the NSA was using a program to access all Internet content Rousseff visited online.
He told Globo television that the NSA was trying to better understand Rousseff's methods of communication and interlocutors.
The NSA program allegedly allowed agents to access the entire communications network of the president and her staff, including telephone, Internet and social network exchanges, the Rio-based journalist said.
He said Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto was similarly targeted.
In July, the newspaper O Globo reported that leaked NSA documents provided by Greenwald showed that the NSA had a base in Brazil to intercept foreign satellite transmissions at least until 2002.
On Monday, both Brazil and Mexico summoned the U.S. ambassadors in their respective countries to demand an explanation for the latest disclosures.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Luis Figueiredo said that, if proven, the report Rousseff was spied on "represents and unacceptable and unallowable violation of Brazilian sovereignty."
Communications Minister Paulo Bernardo said the scope of the espionage was broader and more serious than initially thought.
"All of the explanations given (by the United States) since the start of these episodes are revealed to be false," he said Tuesday.
Pena Nieto, for his part, said he would raise the issue with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Russia.
Source: Agence France Presse
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