Former President FHC Voices Reservations Over U.S. Trade Deal, Eduardo Bolsonaro

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso advises caution for the Brazilian government in relation to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for a free trade agreement between the two countries.

“I believe it is prudent for the Brazilian government not to advance without further details on the terms of the negotiation,” FHC told the blog Tales Faria. “The U.S. interests in the agreement follow its line of bilateralism and the disengagement of China’s commercial interests, with all the complex implications this has for the world,” he said.

The former president also believes that the likely appointment of Eduardo Bolsonaro, the President’s son, as ambassador, could hinder the clear defense of Brazil’s interests.

“Appointing a non-professional ambassador to the U.S. is always risky because the issues to be negotiated require expertise. I don’t know the nominee Eduardo Bolsonaro. From what I’ve read, his training doesn’t endow him with specific knowledge. However, his affinity with Trump, if it really exists, could be favorable to negotiations as long as friendship does not inhibit a clear view of national interests. It will eventually make room for accusations of nepotism,” he said.

As to the Mercosur agreement with the European Union, the former president believes there is a risk that the French will still resist.

FHC also recalled having stood up to a broader U.S. proposal, made in 1994 by the then U.S. president, Bill Clinton: during the first meeting of the Summit of the Americas in Miami, Clinton proposed a Free Trade Area of the Americas, the FTAA. The goal was to remove customs tariffs between the continent’s 34 countries.

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