In the standoff between Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, sources of tension are not lacking. The first handed a piece in the machine on Tuesday, saying he was ready to discuss a G7 aid to fight fires in the Amazon if the French head of state E "withdraw (his) insults" .
"He called me a liar"
"First of all, Mr. Macron must withdraw the insults he has made against me," the Brazilian president told reporters. An allusion to accusations of the French president 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 nine governors of Amazon.
"Before discussing and accepting anything from France (...) (Emmanuel Macron) must withdraw his words and from there, we can talk," said the Brazilian president. On Monday night, Brasilia sharply rejected the $ 20 million aid offered by the G7 countries to fight fires in the Amazon, advising the French president to deal with "his house and settlements." "We thank (the G7 for its offer of help, ed), but these means may be more relevant for the reforestation of Europe," said the chief of staff, Onyx Lorenzoni.