Dilma remains silent on labor-related allegations.
When questioned in Paris about accusations made in a Veja magazine report, which points to extortion by the Labor Ministry, headed by Carlos Lupi, against NGOs, the president simply stated that she had not read the publication: "In Brazil, we respond," she warned.
President Dilma Rousseff declined to comment on the allegations involving close aides to the Minister of Labor, Carlos Lupi (PDT). During a one-day stop in Paris, the president met with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), had lunch with the Brazilian delegation, and visited a museum.
When questioned about the allegations, the president simply stated that she had not read the reports on the subject – published by the IG portal and Veja magazine – and that she would not comment. "In Brazil, we respond."
According to Veja magazine, there is an extortion scheme within the Ministry of Labor similar to those that occurred in the Tourism and Sports ministries. The report revealed that aides to Minister Carlos Lupi, all linked to the PDT (the party he leads), are accused of demanding bribes to release payments to NGOs suspected of irregularities.
Paris
The stop in Paris was the last stage of the Brazilian delegation's trip to France, where the president and four ministers participated in the G-20 summit (group of the 20 largest economies in the world), in Cannes. This Saturday (5) morning, Dilma was at UNESCO headquarters for a meeting with the organization's management, which approved on October 31 the entry of Palestine as a permanent member of the organization.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said she had received "strong support from Brazil." "UNESCO's decision to admit Palestine was very welcome to Brazil, as the Palestinian people have the right (to participate in UNESCO)," said the Bulgarian executive. According to Irina, she and Dilma did not discuss the institution's financial needs, which, after Palestine's admission, will lose more than 20% of its budget funded by the United States, which does not support the decision. When asked if Brazil would be willing to increase its contribution, the Bulgarian was brief: "We didn't talk about that."
Upon leaving UNESCO, Dilma had lunch at the Le Violon d'Ingres restaurant with some members of her entourage – which also included the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Patriota, of Social Communication, Helena Chagas, and the Special Advisor for International Relations, Marco Aurélio Garcia. In the afternoon, she visited the exhibition Fra Angelico et les Maitres de la lumière at the Jacquemart-André Museum – the same museum she had visited in 2010 when she was a candidate.