Brazil has finally declared "open" on Tuesday to financial aid "foreign organizations and even countries" to fight against fires in the Amazon provided they control the funds, having rejected the previous day a G7 offer. "The essential point is that this money, once entered Brazil, does not run counter to Brazilian sovereignty and that the management of funds is under our responsibility," said a spokesman for President Jair Bolsonaro, the day after a $ 20 million offer from G7 countries.
This reversal comes as fires have provoked international outrage and threaten an EU-Mercosur free trade agreement negotiated over the last 20 years. Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday morning conditioned the arrival of the G7 aid to the "withdrawal of (his) insults" by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, taking the part of the escalation in the violent controversy opposing Brazil and France.
"Mr. Macron must remove the insults he has made against me," he said, about his counterpart's accusations that he had "lied" about his environmental commitments. "At first he called me a liar and then, according to my information, he said that our sovereignty over the Amazon was an open question," said Jair Bolsonaro before meeting the governors of the nine states. Amazon.
The sovereignty of the Amazon
For this former captain of the army, climateosceptic assumed, the sovereignty of Brazil on its 60% of Amazon, which he calls "our Amazon", is not negotiable. Governors supported Tuesday the president on the issue of sovereignty, while calling for international aid for the Amazon.
On the last day of the G7 summit in Biarritz, Emmanuel Macron had questioned the advisability of conferring an international status on the Amazon rainforest, in case the leaders of the region take decisions harmful to the planet. In his arm wrestling, however, Jair Bolsonaro could count on Donald Trump's "unqualified support". "He works very hard on fires in the Amazon and, in all respects, does a great job for the Brazilian people," said the US president.
"Thank you President Donald Trump We are fighting wildfires with great success Brazil is and will always be an international benchmark for sustainable development Disinformation campaign against our sovereignty will not work" reacted the Brazilian president on Twitter.