The Latest: France halts Brazil trade deal over Amazon fires

[Judi Lynn]

Updated 7:38 am CDT, Friday, August 23, 20199



Photo: AP
This satellite image provided by NASA shows the fires in Brazil on Aug. 20, 2019. As fires raged in the Amazon rainforest, the Brazilian government on Thursday denounced international critics who say President Jair Bolsonaro is not doing. (NASA via AP)


PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the reaction to the fires in the Amazon (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

In a sharp escalation of tensions with Brazil, France is accusing President Jair Bolsonaro of having lied to French leader Emmanuel Macron and says it now opposes a trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur because of his environmental back-peddling.

A statement from the Elysee Palace accused Bolsonaro of failing to respect his "commitments on the climate" and of failing to protect biodiversity and said that Macron "can only note that President Bolsonaro lied to him."

The angry language follows a spat on Twitter between the two leaders, after Macron angered Bolsonaro by calling on G-7 nations to act for the Amazon being ravaged by wildfires.

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9:35 a.m.

Rarely have French President Emmanuel Macron and superstar soccer players including Cristiano Ronaldo been on the same page, but when it comes to the fires that are devastating the Amazon, they're uniting in sounding the alarm.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/medical/article/The-Latest-France-halts-Brazil-trade-deal-over-14372907.php

[Duppers]

1. Excellent! K&R

This might send a message to Pres. Bolsonaro who says he cannot fight these fires.

Way to go France! Vive La France! 🇫🇷

[Judi Lynn]

2. France says Brazil leader lied, escalating Amazon dispute

John Leicester, Associated Press Updated 10:48 am CDT, Friday, August 23, 2019

PARIS (AP) — In a sharp escalation of tensions over fires ravaging the Amazon, France on Friday accused Brazil's president of having lied to French leader Emmanuel Macron and threatened to block a European Union trade deal with South American states including Brazil.

The specter of possible economic repercussions for Brazil and its South American neighbors starkly illustrated how the Amazon is becoming a battleground between Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and increasingly critical Western governments alarmed that vast swathes of the rainforest are going up in smoke under his watch.

Having won support from other governments, but infuriated Bolsonaro, by putting the Amazon wildfires on the radar of world leaders gathering for a Group of Seven summit in France, Macron then further upped the stakes and the pressure with a bluntly-worded statement from his office Friday that took direct aim at Bolsonaro's trustworthiness.

"In light of Brazil's attitude these recent weeks," the statement said, Macron "can only conclude that President Bolsonaro lied to him during the Osaka Summit" in June where governments agreed on the "urgent need" to tackle climate change, pollution and environmental destruction.

"The decisions and statements from Brazil these recent weeks show clearly that President Bolsonaro has decided to not respect his commitments on the climate, nor to involve himself on the issue of biodiversity."

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/article/France-s-Macron-soccer-stars-unite-against-14372558.php

[Judi Lynn]

3. Bolsonaro: Countries use Amazon blaze to try to harm Brazil

The president admitted, however, fires have been criminal
Published in 23/08/2019 - 11:55 By Pedro Rafael Vilela Brasília

The wildfires in Brazil’s Amazon region might be used to harm the country’s agribusiness sector, said President Jair Bolsonaro today (Aug 22) during his weekly Facebook broadcast. He noted the government has worked to mitigate the problem and asked people to help report criminal activity in the area.

“Some countries seize opportunity to potentialize the criticism on Brazil and harm agribusiness, our economy, and place Brazil back in a subordinate position,” he stated.

The president criticized a foreign demonstrator who referred to the rain forest using the word “our.” “Now, a country—I won’t name it—was bold enough to refer to it as ‘our Amazon.’ It’s interested in owning a part of our Amazon one day,” he said.

Minutes after the transmission, Bolsonaro wrote a tweet mentioning a post by French President Emmanuel Macron about the wildfires in the Amazon, claiming the photo was not up-to-date. “I’m sorry to see that President Macro has sought to instrumentalize a domestic issue of Brazil and other countries sharing the Amazon forest for personal and political gains. The sensationalist tone with which he refers to the Amazon (also resorting to false photos) is not help at all in finding a solution to the problem. The Brazilian government is still open to dialog based on objective data and mutual respect. The French president’s suggestion—that Amazon-related matters should be discussed by the G7—without the participation of the countries in the region—brings back a colonialist mindset inappropriate in the 21st century,” the Brazilian president said.

More:
http://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/politica/noticia/2019-08/bolsonaro-countries-use-amazon-blaze-try-harm-brazil