Jan 20, 2012

Iran's Ahmadinejad to Visit Brazil?

Brazil News

| BRASILIA – Iran's ambassador to Brazil said Thursday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to visit Brazil this year and meet the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Just last week, political commentators in Brazil were rejoicing that Brazil had been spared the embarrassment of hosting Ahmadinejad during his recent tour of Latin America.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Photo: nypost.com)

The Iranian ambassador, Mohsen Shaterzadeh, told the EFE that “In the near future, you will hear and will have news of President Ahmadinejad's visit to Brazil,” without giving details on the possible date. The ambassador indicated that the impending visit would be “exclusive” to Brazil, without going through any other countries.

Just last week, the Iranian leader visited Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Cuba but cited “scheduling problems” for leaving Brazil off of his itinerary. Despite this, the Iranian ambassador assured that relations between the two countries remain “excellent.”

Ahmadinejad visited Brazil in November 2009 and President Lula reciprocated with a visit to Iran six months later.

Regarding Ahmadinejad's recent visit to Latin America, political commentator Clovis Rossi wrote in Folha de Sao Paulo and citing sources close to former president Lula, that Ahmadinejad's absence from Brazil “spares us another pointless polemic” and pointed to growing distance between Tehran and Brasilia under Rousseff.

Writing in the newspaper Valor Economico, Segio Leo noted that “Ahmadinejad planned his Latin American trip...without even talking to Brazil's presidency or foreign office about the possibility of a stop in Brasilia.” Brasilia's relief at not being approached was “palpable,” Leo added.

President Rousseff, it has been reported in the Brazilian press, is not a fan of the way women are treated by the Iranian government. Particularly irritating is the sentence of death by stoning handed down to a woman convicted of adultery.

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