A Brazilian newspaper reported Tuesday that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has cancelled a state visit to Washington, DC in October.
Rousseff was reportedly angered by media reports that the United States spied on her and other Brazilians’ personal communications. O Globo newspaper said Rousseff was not swayed to go forward with the meeting by a 20-minute phone call from President Barack Obama Monday night, giving no source for the information, according to Reuters.
The White House confirmed the two presidents agreed to the cancellation in a statement issued Tuesday.
“The President has said that he understands and regrets the concerns disclosures of alleged U.S. intelligence activities have generated in Brazil and made clear that he is committed to working together with President Rousseff and her government in diplomatic channels to move beyond this issue as a source of tension in our bilateral relationship,” the statement read.
“President Obama and President Rousseff both look forward to the State Visit, which will celebrate our broad relationship and should not be overshadowed by a single bilateral issue, no matter how important or challenging the issue may be,” the statement continued. “For this reason, the presidents have agreed to postpone President Rousseff’s State Visit to Washington scheduled for October 23.”
