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Brazilian President postpones Washington visit amidst US snoop-op revelations

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ANI London

The Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, has reportedly postponed her visit to Washington, citing absence of a timely investigation in the NSA snoop-op revelation matter.

Despite a last-minute call from US President Barack Obama, Rousseff's office released a statement saying the political environment was not amenable for the planned trip on 23 October adding that the state visit can quickly occur if the question about delay in investigation is settled in an adequate manner.

The classified intelligence data leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed that the US spy agency, NSA has monitored Rousseff's telephone calls and emails, spied on communications by her aides and targeted Brazil's biggest company, Petrobras.

 

According to The Guardian, Rouseff had earlier requested explanation from Obama, but his reassurances failed to satisfy her concerns.

The earlier revelations indicated that Brazil is among several countries that are subject to massive communications data monitoring by the US, and the latest move would prove a setback to the bilateral ties between the two nations.

Meanwhile, US officials have adopted a softer tone as the US national security adviser Susan Rice said that the revelations raised legitimate questions for their friends and allies, the report added.

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First Published: Sep 18 2013 | 10:10 AM IST

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