Ruptly
"Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rejected the United States' decision to designate the criminal groups Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) as foreign terrorist organizations, arguing that such a designation falls exclusively under the authority of Brazilian institutions. The Brazilian leader said he was saddened by the decision made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to classify the groups as terrorist organizations, speaking during an official event on Friday in Laranjeiras. "Why does it sadden me? First, because this Comando Vermelho, this PCC, are terrorists to Brazilian communities, to Brazilian society, to the people living in the outskirts of this country," he said. The terrorist designation was announced on Thursday following a request by presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, who met with Marco Rubio and U.S. President Donald Trump this week in Washington. Lula da Silva therefore criticized the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro for his close ties to the U.S. government. "I would be ashamed to know that there is a presidential candidate who goes to the United States to ask for American intervention in Brazil," he said. In that regard, the president stated that he is willing to cooperate with the United States in combating organized crime, provided that such cooperation is reciprocal. "Do you want to fight organized crime? Hand over our people who are in the United States. We do not accept being treated like children. We do not accept being treated like a banana republic," he asserted. Lula da Silva argued that the fight against organized crime must be carried out jointly, claiming that "the weapons smuggled into Brazil come from the United States," and that money-laundering activities involving Brazilians take place in the state of Delaware. Finally, the president defended national sovereignty and said that his foreign policy has always been based on respect for other countries, valuing multilateralism and the territorial integrity of nations. "I treat China with the same respect as Russia, with the same respect as the United States. I do not speak harshly to Bolivia and softly to the United States (...) Don't play with this country's sovereignty," he said. Despite the disagreements surrounding the terrorist designation, Lula reiterated that Brazil will continue international cooperation on security matters and in the fight against drug trafficking."
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