RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro is willing to accept the proposed aid package of US$20 (R$80) million from G7 countries and international organizations as long as he can control the resources for fighting fires in the Amazon, his spokesman said on Tuesday, August 27th.
The government is open to receiving financial support from organizations and countries provided that this “does not offend Brazilian sovereignty and that the governance of these resources is our responsibility,” said spokesman Otávio Rego Barros, hours after Bolsonaro made the receipt of the aid conditional on an apology from French president Emmanuel Macron.
On Monday evening, Brasília rejected US$20 (R$80) million proposed by the G7 countries to fight fires in the Amazon, advising the French president to take care of “his house and colonies.”
On Tuesday, August 27th, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro said that he was ready to discuss G7 assistance to combat fires in the Amazon upon condition that Emmanuel Macron should retract “his insults”.
“First, Mr. Macron must retract the insults he uttered against me,” the Brazilian president told the press, referring to the episode involving the French president’s accusations saying that Bolsonaro had “lied” about his environmental commitments.