Brazil’s acceptance of foreign financial aid for fighting the fires in the Amazon is the best evidence of the usefulness of the recent G7 meeting in Biarritz, French Government Spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye commented on Wednesday.
“Bolsonaro’s reaction is the demonstration that this G7 has finally been useful,” she said following the Brazilian President’s announcement on Tuesday that he was “open” to financial aid “from foreign organisations and even countries” on condition that Brazil controls the funds.
Bolsonaro had previously conditioned acceptance of the G7 aid on French President Emmanuel Macron’s “withdrawal of (his) insults”, in an escalation of the war of words between Brazil and France.
The fires in the Amazon have aroused international indignation and threaten a free trade accord the EU and Mercosur have been negotiating for 20 years now.
“There are sometimes moments of tension, moments of discussion that I would describe as sharp,” Ndiaye admitted. “It is no less true that the issues broached (at the G7) were discussed in depth and enabled progress, through a certain number of small steps”.
The Brussels Times
