Falklands warship turned away by Brazil

[Judi Lynn]

Falklands warship turned away by Brazil
Robin Yapp, The Daily Telegraph
January 10, 2011 3:29 PM

The Royal Navy's Falkland Islands protection ship has been turned away from port in Rio de Janeiro in a sign that Brazil's new government could back Argentine claims to the islands.

Despite continuing tensions with Argentina over the Falklands, the Navy has until now enjoyed cordial relations with its Brazilian equivalent.

But last week, within days of the former Left-wing guerrilla Dilma Rousseff succeeding Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as Brazil's president, HMS Clyde was refused permission to stop in Rio.

Miss Rousseff is due to visit Argentina at the end of this month in her first international trip, with closer trade relations due to be discussed.

More:
http://www.dose.ca/news/story.html?id=4087171

[CJvR]

1. Intresting.

Seems Brazil doesn't have enough internal problem but needs to borrow an external one from Argentina.

[social_critic]

2. What problem?

Brazil isn't about to have problems because it turned away a British warship. What are the British going to do about it? Nothing. Brazil loses some sailor business, and the British ship will go elsewhere.

As far as Argentina is concerned, it's not a problem either. They'll just continue to make noise and hassle the British. And this costs them nothing. The business climate for British companies in Argentina is good - or as good as it can be when the government has funny policies. But they're not going to be any worse than the business climate for say Spanish companies.

If I were Argentina, I would ask other Latin American countries to organize an embargo similar to what the US does with Cuba...just forbid any ship going to the Falklands the right to touch anywhere in Latin American waters. This will put economic pressure on the British.