Allegations that the U.S. National Security Agency spied on Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff triggered a new crisis in bilateral relations Monday, a sign that fallout over the spy program is spreading.
The Brazilian government condemned the targeting of its leader, labeled it an “unacceptable invasion” of sovereignty and called Monday for international regulations to protect citizens and governments alike from cyber espionage. The government said it expects the White House to provide a prompt written explanation over the espionage allegations.
The latest clash comes less than two months ahead of a rare state visit to Washington by Rousseff, scheduled for Oct. 23.
U.S. Ambassador Thomas Shannon was called for a meeting today with new Brazilian Foreign Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado. The action came after a report aired Sunday night on Globo TV citing 2012 documents from NSA leaker Edward Snowden that indicated the U.S. intercepted Rousseff’s emails and telephone calls, along with those of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose communications were being monitored even before he was elected as president in July 2012.
The newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported that President Dilma Rousseff is considering canceling her October trip to the U.S., where she has been scheduled to be honored with a state dinner. Folha cited unidentified Rousseff aides. The president’s office declined to comment.
Mexico’s government said it had expressed its concerns to the U.S. ambassador and directly to the U.S. administration.
Figueiredo Machado said, “We’re going to talk with our partners, including developed and developing nations, to evaluate how they protect themselves and to see what joint measures could be taken in the face of this grave situation.”
He added that “there has to be international regulations that prohibit citizens and governments alike from being exposed to interceptions, violations of privacy and cyberattacks.”
Justice Minister Eduardo Cardozo said at a joint news conference with Figueiredo Machado that “from our point of view, this represents an unacceptable violation of Brazilian sovereignty.”
“This type of practice is incompatible with the confidence necessary for a strategic partnership between two nations,” Cardozo said.
Earlier, Sen. Ricardo Ferraco, head of the Brazilian Senate’s foreign relations committee, said lawmakers already had decided to formally investigate the U.S. program’s focus on Brazil because of earlier revelations that the country was a top target of the NSA spying in the region. He said the probe would likely start this week.
“I feel a mixture of amazement and indignation. It seems like there are no limits. When the phone of the president of the republic is monitored, it’s hard to imagine what else might be happening,” Ferraco told reporters in Brasilia. “It’s unacceptable that in a country like ours, where there is absolutely no climate of terrorism, that there is this type of spying.”
During the Sunday night TV program, U.S. journalist Glenn Greenwald, who lives in Rio de Janeiro, told the news program “Fantastico” that a document dated June 2012 shows that Pena Nieto’s emails were being read. The document’s date is the month before Pena Nieto was elected.
The document indicated who Pena Nieto would like to name to some government posts, among other information.
It’s not clear if the spying continues.
In Mexico City, the Mexican foreign ministry said it sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. asking for a thorough investigation of the report’s claims. It said officials also summoned the U.S. ambassador to express Mexico’s concerns.
