President Dilma Rousseff Considers Canceling U.S. Visit

09/03/2013 - 08h58

Outraged, Dilma Rousseff is considering canceling her official visit to the United States scheduled for October if President Barack Obama does not give "satisfactory answers" on National Security Agency (NSA) spying actions that might have affected the Brazilian president.

President Rousseff is not only "outraged", but also "very irritated," according to her diplomatic aides, because she feels "deceived" by the U.S. government.

After all, when the first news on spying came out from the American agency in Brazil, the United States guaranteed that the NSA role was restricted to operations "metadata", with cross-checking of information that could even be of interest to the Brazilian government.

There is still no final decision on whether to cancel the state visit, and Brazil's Presidential Palace hopes that President Obama will fully explain and take the necessary steps to overcome the "great discomfort" generated by the information that President Rousseff was a direct target of espionage carried out by the NSA, as reported in the TV show "Fantástico".

Within the government, aides have said that without a response from President Obama Ms. Rousseff will not be able to travel to the United States and pose "for pictures" next to Americans.

According to them, it would be the same as if Brazil would say, to the world, the country does not mind being spied.

In the Brazilian government, the information that Ms. Rousseff was the target of espionage is considered the "most serious episode" since the beginning of the secret documents leak involving the NSA.

The Presidential Palace expects not to be obligated to cancel the visit, scheduled for October 23, because it would represent a diplomatic crisis. The expectation is that the Brazilian pressure on President Obama will resolve the situation.

Translated by SIMONE PALMA

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