United States Forestalls Brazil’s Accession to OECD, Says American Broadcaster

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The US government has refused to support Brazil joining the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The information was released on Thursday, October 10th by the US broadcaster Bloomberg.

The media outlet claims that the US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, has rejected a request for discussion on the expansion of the group of wealthier countries.

The broadcaster cites a copy of a document sent to the secretary-general of the OECD, Angel Gurria, on August 28th. In the letter, Pompeo states that Washington’s support is exclusively for candidates Argentina and Romania.

“The US continues to favor enlargement at a contained pace that takes into account the need to consider governance and succession plans,” the secretary of state said in the letter.

Pompeo’s message runs counter to President Donald Trump’s statement in March regarding the White House’s endorsement of President Jair Bolsonaro’s escalation to the OECD.

To join the club, Brazil announced that it would relinquish the preferential treatment it enjoys at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Brazil’s time to join the OECD will come, says Bolsonaro

President Jair Bolsonaro denied on Thursday, Octber 11th, that the US government has ignored Brazil’s accession to the OECD.

During his traditional weekly live on Facebook, Bolsonaro said that the Americans’ endorsement of Romania and Argentina was already known and that Brazil will have its opportunity to join the so-called “club of the wealthy,” as the OECD is known.

“We are almost there, but two countries were ahead, Argentina and Romania, and this was once again expressed today,” said the president.

“They [OECD] make a selection, and the selection is gradual so that this new country joining is complying with everything that is in the OECD Statute because they can’t make mistakes. And Brazil will have its time,” he added.

The U.S. Embassy issued an official note to reiterate its support for Brazil’s accession to the OECD, which includes 36 countries, most of them from Europe and North America.

In the document, the US formally confirmed its support for Argentina’s and Romania’s accession to the group.

The US embassy issued an official statement to reiterate its support for Brazil’s accession to the organization, but stressed that the extension of the OECD must follow “a controlled pace that takes into account the need to press for governance reforms and succession planning”.

“The first time I was with Donald Trump [U.S. President], I asked for his support. Immediately [he] granted it to us. Now, it’s not just up to him, we have to approach all countries, because it must be unanimous,” said Bolsonaro.

On Twitter, the president reposted a tweet from President Donald Trump in which the US leader reiterates his endorsement of Brazil.

Source: Carta Capital/Agência Brasil

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