Brazil Demands Answers Over Alleged US Spying

Brazilian Foreign Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo summons U.S. Ambassador Thomas Shannon for answers on new NSA spying allegations based on Snowden leaks.

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Brazil had strong words for the United States on Monday and summoned the U.S. ambassador for explanations, after new allegations surfaced that Washington spied on President Dilma Rousseff.

A Brazilian news program reported last Sunday that the U.S. National Security Agency spied on emails, phone calls and text messages of Rousseff and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Newly-appointed Foreign Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, says he expressed his concern to the U.S. Ambassador in Brazil.

[Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, Brazil's Minister of Foreign Relations]:
"Today at nine this morning we summoned the ambassador of the United States, Thomas Shannon to my cabinet, and explained the indignation of the Brazilian government in light of the facts revealed by these documents. The violation of communications of our Lady President of the Republic, from our point of view this represents an impermissible and unacceptable violation of Brazilian sovereignty."

The Brazilian government is already smarting from earlier reports, that the NSA spied on the emails and phone calls of its citizens.

Brazil has given the U.S. government until the end of the week to provide a written explanation of the new spying disclosures.

[Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, Brazil's Minister of Foreign Relations]:
"American ambassador Thomas Shannon has committed himself to getting in contact with the White House today to relay our conversation, and like I said to him, they need to send us the formal written explanation this situation requires."

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Brazil not to let spying revelations derail growing trade, diplomatic and cultural relations, between the two largest economies in the Americas.