Despite their war of words, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that he will accept the G7 offer to help fight fires blazing across the Amazon rainforest but not until French President Emmanuel Macron gives him a personal apology.
Bolsonaro was offended by Macron’s previous comments related to the way he handles the issue as fires continued to devour the world’s biggest rainforest.
“First of all, Macron must withdraw the insults,” Bolsonaro told reporters in Brasilia on Tuesday.
“He called me a liar,” Bolsonaro said, adding that once Macron went back on his claim, “from there we can talk.”
The French president had accused him of “lying” at the G20 summit in Japan by failing to respect his climate commitments and bvy failing to pursue biodiversity.
Last week, Macron threatened to block an EU trade agreement with Brazil and its neighboring countries over Bolsanaro’s lack of action to control the surge in Amazonian forest fires. “Given the attitude of Brazil over the last weeks, the president can only conclude that President Bolsonaro lied to him at the Osaka (G-20) summit,” a presidential official said in a statement at the time.
On Monday, G7 nations pledged to donate $20 million to aid fires in Amazonia where 60 percent of its part is located in Brazil while Britain said it would donate additional $12 million and another $11 million for Canada as part of the effort.
The funds will be used to rent more firefighting planes that will help in controlling the massive fire.
