Macron must take back 'insults' for Brazil to accept G7 Amazon aid - Bolsonaro

By Lisandra Paraguassu and Gabriel Stargardter

 

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during the Brazilian Steel Conference in Brasilia, Brazil, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo

 

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday he wants French President Emmanuel Macron to withdraw the "insults" made against him before he considers accepting a $20 million offer from the G7 nations to help fight forest fires in the Amazon.

 

The two leaders have become embroiled in a deeply personal and public war of words in recent days, with Bolsonaro mocking Macron's wife and accusing the French leader of disrespecting Brazil's sovereignty. Macron has called Bolsonaro a liar, and said Brazilian women are probably ashamed of their president.

 

The fires in the Amazon have created a major crisis for Bolsonaro's far-right government. The Brazilian leader is losing popularity at home and finding himself increasingly isolated on the global stage over his response to blazes that threaten what many view as a key bulwark against global climate change.

 

His response to the fires is being closely watched by world leaders increasingly concerned by climate change, and could threaten Brazil's trade deals and powerful agribusiness sector, which is a crucial driver of its recession-plagued economy.

 

However, the offer of aid from the Group of Seven wealthy nations, which was made at a leaders summit in the southern French town of Biarritz on Monday, has stirred up emotions within Bolsonaro's nationalist government. Some officials are grateful for the much-needed help, and others view it as a colonial token that undermines Brazil's control of its lands.

 

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday he wants French President Emmanuel Macron to retract "insults" against him before he considers accepting aid from the Group of Seven nations who offered $20 million to help fight forest fires in the Amazon. Nathan Frandino has more.

 

Bolsonaro raised Macron's ire on Sunday when the Brazilian leader responded to a Facebook post that compared the looks of his wife Michelle, 37, with Macron’s 66-year-old wife Brigitte. "Do not humiliate the man hahahah," Bolsonaro wrote, in a comment widely criticized as sexist.

 

Macron, who has accused Bolsonaro of lying about climate change policy, called the remarks "extremely disrespectful" to his wife.

 

On Tuesday, Bolsonaro said he would only countenance accepting G7 money if Macron retracted his earlier comments.

 

"First of all, Macron has to withdraw his insults. He called me a liar. Before we talk or accept anything from France ... he must withdraw these words then we can talk," Bolsonaro told reporters in Brasilia. "First he withdraws, then offers (aid), then I will answer."

 

The French president's office declined to comment on Bolsonaro's remarks.

 

Later, in an at-times fraught discussion with members of his cabinet and governors of Amazon states, Bolsonaro said he did not have anything against the G7 countries, but rather against the president of one of them - a thinly veiled reference to Macron.

 

He also said he appreciated the environmental work of the G7, but said any efforts to harm Brazil's agribusiness sector would hurt Latin America's largest economy.

 

Other members of his team took a more adversarial tone.

 

"Where they have passed they have left a trail of destruction, confusion and misery, so they can't give that kind of advice to anyone," Augusto Heleno, a retired Brazilian general who is Bolsonaro's top security adviser, said about France. He also labelled Macron's posture as childish.

 

In a boost for the Brazilian leader, U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday tweeted his support for Bolsonaro, an ideological peer on the environment, China and trade.

 

Bolsonaro "is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil - Not easy. He and his country have the full and complete support of the USA!" Trump tweeted.

 

The Brazilian president responded on Twitter: "We're fighting the wildfires with great success. Brazil is and will always be an international reference in sustainable development."

 

G7 OFFER

Leaders of the G7 made the aid offer after discussing the fires ravaging the world's largest tropical rainforest - often dubbed "the lungs of the world".

 

Initially, as the fires gained global headlines, Bolsonaro said Brazil did not have the resources to tackle the blazes. Then, in the wake of the G7 offer, his Environment Minister Ricardo Salles called the aid "welcome."

 

However, on Monday evening, Bolsonaro's chief of staff Onyx Lorenzoni said Brazil would reject the G7 offer, although his office said that was his personal view.

 

Meanwhile, Norway's environment minister called on major Norwegian companies with business in Brazil to ensure they do not contribute to destruction in the Amazon. In a meeting, the minister urged representatives of oil firm Equinor <EQNR.OL>, fertilizer-maker Yara <YAR.OL> and aluminium producer Norsk Hydro <NHY.OL> to make sure their supply chains are not linked to deforestation.

 

The number of blazes recorded across the Brazilian Amazon has risen 79% this year through Aug. 25, according toBrazil's space research agency. The fires are not limited to Brazil, with at least 10,000 square kilometres (about 3,800 square miles) burning in Bolivia, near its border with Paraguay and Brazil.

 

But Brazil is at the epicentre of the blazes, which Bolsonaro has blamed on environmentalists, non-government organizations and the weather. He has also said fires in the Amazon were more prevalent under previous left-wing governments.

 

Weak rainfall is unlikely to extinguish a record number of fires raging in Brazil's Amazon anytime soon, with pockets of precipitation through Sept. 10 expected to bring only isolated relief, according to weather data and two experts.

 

(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia, Eduardo Simoes in Sao Paulo; Additional reporting by Michel Rose in Paris; Writing by Jamie McGeever; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Alistair Bell)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-28

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Yeah right, "kiss my butt and I'll accept your $20,000,000"

 

To hell with him, he wouldn't be spending the $$$ the way the donors intend him too.  May as well just deposit it in his private Swiss bank account.

 

The fires are a willful act, stop patronizing him.  He's keeping a campaign promise.  Brazil has to expand it's soybean production for the Chinese now that DT has stuck it to the US farmers.

 

 

I think you hit that one on the head bendeho like your handle to lol

Quote

Some officials are grateful for the much-needed help,

lol... 20 million for Brazil is pocket lint

Immature children have now grown up to become immature leaders...makes me laugh at the buffoons running the world's governments...Thailand's leader exempted of course...????

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday he wants French President Emmanuel Macron to withdraw the "insults" made against him before he considers accepting a $20 million offer from the G7 nations to help fight forest fires in the Amazon.

Bolsonaro is an egocentric ignorant , arrogant , selfish , ugly Idiot if he connects help to solve an ecological catastrophy to his own little pride .

Anyway it was him who started insulting comments about Macron's wife ...

3 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

Bolsonaro is an egocentric ignorant , arrogant , selfish , ugly Idiot if he connects help to solve an ecological catastrophy to his own little pride .

Anyway it was him who started insulting comments about Macron's wife ...

And he is lying his pants of about deforestation in the Amazon.

 

Same tactics used by all populist, blame the foreigner and distract from the real issue.

Given how odious these 2 politicians are, I'm surprised they don't get on a bit better.

Hang on... if you don't apologise we won't accept your free millions?  ****

Edited August 28, 20196 yr by BobBKK

 Are you guys for real? Macron insulted Bolsonaro . do you think Bolsonaro can accept the money without validating Macron's insult?  

If someone insulted you, and then threw some money at you, would you accept it?

    If Europe needs the Amazon to breath instead of sending money to Brazil , perhaps they could use that money to restore the forests they destroyed in their own countries. 

10 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

Hang on... if you don't apologise we won't accept your free millions?  ****

That must be why Prayut offered to help - he understands Bolsonaro's use of Thai logic.

You have to say please, then i will consider taking your money.

After all i am upset you said naughty words to me.

10 minutes ago, colinneil said:

You have to say please, then i will consider taking your money.

After all i am upset you said naughty words to me.

I don't particularly like Bolsonaro or agree with his politics, but logic is logic.

Put yourself in  Bolsonaro's position. Think about it. Would you take the money?

What do you think Bolsonaro needs more, 20 million Euros (pocket change for Brazil) or his dignity ? Do you think it would be politically expedient for Bolsonaro to accept the money?

Edited August 28, 20196 yr by sirineou
typo

Alot of very small men, with very thin skin leading major nations these days. I did not hear anything that Macron said, that a man with self esteem would take offense to. Bolso is an out of control maniac. He is an ignorant, prideful nationalist, he is callous, he is a bully, and he cares not one iota for the environment of his nation, nor the Amazon, much less the 400 indigenous tribes, comprised of over 1,000,000 people, who represent a tremendously rich heritage and history of the nation. He does not have a clue. And his son is even worse. He has more or less outlived his usefulness, for the vast majority of Brazilian people, and he is now a hazard for the entirely planet, as he has directly encourage the burning of the Amazon with his reckless and inane policies of greed and destruction, and total lack of vision and wisdom. 

Edited August 28, 20196 yr by spidermike007

So Brazil's sh#t for a president has put his pride before the welfare of his nation. That's all you need to know really. Of course, if you did a little deeper you'll see he's even worse. Expect to see him use the nationalist card more and more in the coming weeks/months to distract and divide the nation over his failing extremist policies and personal ability to govern effectively. 

Another fragile ego ruining a country.

Not normally a fan of the French but a big thank you to Macron for calling attention to the fires and talking it up at the G7 meeting.   

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

I don't particularly like Bolsonaro or agree with his politics, but logic is logic.

Put yourself in  Bolsonaro's position. Think about it. Would you take the money?

What do you think Bolsonaro needs more, 20 million Euros (pocket change for Brazil) or his dignity ? Do you think it would be politically expedient for Bolsonaro to accept the money?

 

As far as I understand the insults and jibes initially came from Bolsonaro. What he huffs and puffs about now are Macron's responses to these. Not saying Macron handled this brilliantly or anything.

Brazil rejected millions in Amazon aid. Hours later, Bolsonaro hinted at a reversal

Acceptance of the funds, however, would hinge on the Brazilian government being able to administrate the aid, clarified presidential spokesperson Otavio Rego Barros.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/27/americas/brazil-rejects-g7-aid-amazon-intl/index.html

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

 Are you guys for real? Macron insulted Bolsonaro . do you think Bolsonaro can accept the money without validating Macron's insult?  

If someone insulted you, and then threw some money at you, would you accept it?

    If Europe needs the Amazon to breath instead of sending money to Brazil , perhaps they could use that money to restore the forests they destroyed in their own countries. 

This is not how things happened and these are not the facts. Anyway, and his resume proves it too, Bolsonaro is a nobody who happened to become President.

Good luck with it since Brazil is not the US.

4 hours ago, sirineou said:

 Are you guys for real? Macron insulted Bolsonaro . do you think Bolsonaro can accept the money without validating Macron's insult?  

If someone insulted you, and then threw some money at you, would you accept it?

    If Europe needs the Amazon to breath instead of sending money to Brazil , perhaps they could use that money to restore the forests they destroyed in their own countries. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/12/04/watch-how-europe-is-greener-now-than-100-years-ago/

 

Aha, cool story. 

Gosh - a hard line fascist snowflake. Don't see many of them nowadays...

8 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Bolsonaro is an egocentric ignorant , arrogant , selfish , ugly Idiot if he connects help to solve an ecological catastrophy to his own little pride .

Anyway it was him who started insulting comments about Macron's wife ...

He's not wrong about Macron's wife though.

When you marry your mom, best not to be too sensitive about it.

Edited August 28, 20196 yr by BritManToo

23 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

He's not wrong about Macron's wife though.

When you marry your mom, best not to be too sensitive about it.

Macron and his wife love each other since over 20 years, I very doubt any of them is sensitive about age gap, it's the opposite, it's their strength.

Bolsonaro, targeting Macron's wife in addition to insulting Macron via his son Eduardo, and his FA Minister, is not at all the alpha male he pretends to be.

Macron politely told him so.

But everything is fine, in the end.. Bolsonaro will take the money, and probably will manage to run away with it one way of the other.    

Edited August 28, 20196 yr by Opl

8 hours ago, Opl said:

Bolsonaro is a nobody who happened to become President.

There seem to be quite a of of these about. Indeed the qualifications for becoming a world leader are astonishingly low. Except Thailand of course, which is known for all things 'world class'.

<deleted> !

I  ca  accept  that  Brazil  in  governmental  accord  to the  right  for  national  rights can accept  or  deny  assistance  in an emergency. But  this  is  a  ridiculous   standoff.

20  million  whatevers?   Toss  in a  few   billion and  we  might  do  something  meaningful!  You  really think  obliterating the last remnants  of  the  lungs of the world is to assist  some  low echelon  native  indians?  No way  Senor ! Voce  ja  nos colocou aqui !

 

 

14 hours ago, sirineou said:

 Are you guys for real? Macron insulted Bolsonaro . do you think Bolsonaro can accept the money without validating Macron's insult?  

If someone insulted you, and then threw some money at you, would you accept it?

    If Europe needs the Amazon to breath instead of sending money to Brazil , perhaps they could use that money to restore the forests they destroyed in their own countries. 

Send me $20 million, and you can insult me, my brother, and my mother. (but not my dog, he's got standards)

16 hours ago, tgw said:

lol... 20 million for Brazil is pocket lint

https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/08/23/why-shouldnt-brazilians-burn-down-trees/

The arrogance of the eco extremist bullies is endless.