WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama and Brazilian leader Dilma Rousseff will aim to show they have smoothed over tensions sparked by a spying scandal, as they opened two days of talks at the White House on Monday, June 29.
The meetings come nearly two years after Rousseff canceled a rare state visit to Washington following revelations that Brazil was a target of American spy programs. The disclosures by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden deeply strained relations between the two hemispheric powers.
Rather than rehash the spying controversy, officials from both countries say Obama and Rousseff want to delve into talks on trade, investment, and climate change.
“They are putting behind the Edward Snowden affair,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think tank. “The meeting is to create good atmosphere, a good mood, establish communication, and get the relationship back on solid footing.”
Upon Rousseff’s arrival at the White House, Obama invited her to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. At the memorial, Obama described the “Stone of Hope” into which King’s statue is carved and pointed out some of King’s famous quotes along the memorial wall.
