Brazil’s President Rousseff Attacks US Over Spy Claims

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has criticised the US over allegations it carried out electronic espionage.

Speaking at the opening of the UN General Assembly, Ms Rousseff said Brazil would adopt legislation and technology to protect itself from illegal intercepts.

She called Washington’s argument that spying on Brazil was to protect nations from terrorists “untenable”.

Earlier this month, she cancelled a planned visit to Washington.

Ms Rousseff told the assembled leaders that Brazil had been a target of intrusions and intercepts carried out by a “global network of electronic espionage”.

She said that “corporate information – often of high economic and even strategic value – was at the centre of espionage activities”.

President Rousseff said such tampering with another country’s affairs was an “affront to the principles that must guide the relations among friendly nations”.

Her speech came a week after she called off a high-profile visit to the United States after a string of allegations about the extent of the US spying programme emerged.

Ms Rousseff rejected arguments put forward by the US that the illegal interception of information was aimed at protecting nations against terrorism.

“Brazil, Mr President, knows how to protect itself,” she said.

BBC

Posted by Editor (online) on September 24, 2013. Filed under WORLD. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry