Brazil slams US spying on other nations
Iran Press TV
Tue Sep 24, 2013 2:52PM GMT
Brazil's President Dilma Vana Rousseff has criticized the US for its extensive spying programs on other nations calling it an "affront".
"Meddling in such a manner in the lives and affairs of other countries is a breach of international law and as such it is an affront to the principles that should otherwise govern relations among countries, especially among friendly nations," Rousseff told the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations in New York on September 24.
She said the US' argument on cyber spying is "untenable", adding that the Brazilian President added that Brazil will adopt legislation and technology to protect it from illegal interception of communications that the US has launched against her country.
Parts of documents leaked and published since July by American whistleblower Edward Snowden showed that the America's intelligence agencies had spied on leaders of several allied nations, including Brazil and also on Brazil's state-run oil company.
Rousseff expressed outrage over the news and demanded an apology from US President Barack Obama. Showing her anger, she cancelled a state visit to the US earlier in September. The visit was planned for October.
A statement from the Brazilian president's office said "The illegal interception of communications data belonging to citizens, companies and members of the Brazilian government are a grave matter, an assault on national sovereignty and individual rights, and are incompatible with relations between friendly nations."
Revelations by Snowden also show that the US spy agencies even bugged the United Nations' New York headquarters. The documents showed how the US systematically spied on other states and institutions let alone Americans at home.
US spying programs targeted the European Union and the UN's Vienna-based nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The NSA spying programs collect the phone records and internet data of Americans.
DB/DB
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