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Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff calls off US trip Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff calls off US trip
(34 minutes later)
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has called off a state visit to Washington next month over allegations of US espionage. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has called off a state visit to Washington next month in a row over allegations of US espionage.
The US National Security Agency (NSA) has been accused of intercepting emails and messages from Ms Rousseff, her aides and state oil company, Petrobras.The US National Security Agency (NSA) has been accused of intercepting emails and messages from Ms Rousseff, her aides and state oil company, Petrobras.
The allegations were based on documents leaked by fugitive former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.The allegations were based on documents leaked by fugitive former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
President Barack Obama had promised to investigate the incident.President Barack Obama had promised to investigate the incident.
The White House said Mr Obama had telephoned Ms Rousseff on Monday to discuss the matter. The White House said he had telephoned Ms Rousseff on Monday to discuss the matter.
"The president has said that he understands and regrets the concerns [that] disclosures of alleged US intelligence activities have generated in Brazil and made clear that he is committed to working together with President Rousseff and her government in diplomatic channels to move beyond this issue as a source of tension in our bilateral relationship," the White House said in a statement. The allegations of widespread espionage against Brazilian citizens were first published in July by Rio de Janeiro-based journalist Glenn Greenwald, a reporter for the British Guardian newspaper.
This was to be the first state visit by a Brazilian president to the US since 1995. It was due to begin on 23 October. Earlier this month, another report by Mr Greenwald alleged that the NSA had illegally accessed data from oil company Petrobras.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said that the US-Brazil relationship was so important, President Obama "agrees with this decision that they made together to postpone this visit". The company is due to carry on in next month an important auction for exploration rights of an oil field off the Rio de Janeiro state coast.
"This relationship should not be overshadowed by any bilateral issue," he said. Ms Rousseff has said that if the accusations were proven it meant the NSA was involved in "industrial espionage".
The Brazilian government said it hoped the state visit would take place "as soon as possible", once the issue had been "resolved properly". Her US state visit was to be the first by a Brazilian president since 1995. It was due to begin on 23 October.
But in a statement on Tuesday, the Brazilian government said that "given the proximity of the scheduled state visit to Washington - and in the absence of a timely investigation of the incident, with corresponding explanations and the commitment to cease the interception activities" it could not go ahead as planned.
The statement said Brazil hoped the visit would take place "as soon as possible", once the issue had been "resolved properly".
White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Tuesday that the postponement had been a joint decision between Ms Rousseff and Mr Obama, who agreed it "should not be overshadowed by any bilateral issue".
The White House said in a statement: "The president has said that he understands and regrets the concerns [that] disclosures of alleged US intelligence activities have generated in Brazil and made clear that he is committed to working together with President Rousseff and her government in diplomatic channels to move beyond this issue as a source of tension in our bilateral relationship."