Brazil’s Lula Calls EU’s New Immigration Rules “Hateful Persecution”

Immigration rally in Europe The Brazilian president and his South American colleagues meeting at the Mercosur summit called the new European Union immigration policies that permit the detention of undocumented workers for up to 18 months "xenophobic" and said the measure may damage economic ties between the two regions.

Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had tough criticism against the new EU rules on immigration calling them "hateful persecution. According to the Brazilian leader the problem of illegal immigration will not solved by prohibiting the poor from entering Europe.

"We keep on backing the civilian society's participation channels and favoring the free circulation of men and women while, on the other side of the ocean, a hateful persecution is being unleashed against Latin-Americans, often accompanied by racial overtones," said Lula in the speech that marked Brazil's presidency in Mercosur.

Celso Amorim, Brazil's Foreign Minister, announced that the Unasur countries will appeal to the UN against the EU decision.

"We will call attention to the theme during the UN's General Assembly," Amorim stated, "and maybe also at the Human Rights Council, We've been analyzing several action to take. The subject needs juridical analysis. What they use is the same term that was used against terrorist during the time of the IRA, when even children were detained."

"We have to defend our citizens who emigrated abroad because they weren't able, at that time, to find the conditions in our own countries to build a better life," said Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez during the summit in Tucuman, Argentina.

"It's xenophobic and discriminatory," he insisted. "Emigrating is not tourism" said Vazquez who talked of being the grandson of poor European immigrants. "It hurts us deeply that there is no respect for the human rights of Latin American immigrants, who had to leave and seek elsewhere what they don't have in their own lands, just like their grandparents did."

The strong attacks on the EU both for its migratory and farm subsidies policies centered the last of the two day Mercosur summit when the pro tempore chair, for the second half of 2008 was passed on to Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Argentina presided over the first half of the year.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the migratory measure could hurt trade and investment ties between Latin America and Europe. "We can't be silent about this," Chavez said at the summit. "We need to take a stand. So called civilized Europe is doing something barbarous."

The EU adopted the new immigration rules on June 18, and they are to take effect by 2010. The policy allows governments to detain illegal immigrants for up to 18 months and imposes a re-entry ban of up to five years. Thousands of Latin Americans migrate to Europe in search of job opportunities and the EU estimates eight to 12 million illegal immigrants live in Europe.

The Mercosur meeting also focused on the global food and energy crisis, noting that member nations have the potential to thrive, since its members include major energy and food exporters.

Brazil is the world's largest producer of sugar and of cane sugar ethanol, and second in soy. Argentina, also an important soy grower, is the world's No. 2 in corn and No. 4 in wheat.

"The situation of food and energy prices presents the region with an enormous opportunity if we can take advantage of it with solidarity and regional integration" said President Cristina Kirchner of Argentina, which hosted the summit.

Bzz/Mercopress

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil: Making a Difference amid Abject Poverty

The Pastoral da Criança (the Children’s Ministry) is a social program of the Catholic ...

Bolivia Will Stop Selling Cheap Gas to Brazil and Argentina

The Bolivian government ratified Tuesday, February 21, its decision to increase the price of natural ...

Embraer’s Deal with Brazilian Airline Might Go Over US$ 1 Billion

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer announced it has signed a contract with Brazil's airline Trip ...

Bush’s Win Good for Business, says Brazil

The International Relations manager of the Brazil/US Chamber of Foreign Commerce, Fábio Rua, affirmed ...

15th Movelsul Brazil, LatAm’s Largest Furniture Fair, Expects 33,000 Visitors

Movelsul Brazil 2006, the largest international furniture fair in Latin America, will be held ...

Brazil Downplays Disputes with Argentina

The trade disputes between Brazil and Argentina won’t harm the Mercosur negotiations at the ...

Legacy jet showing damaged winglet after collision with Boeing

Brazil Boeing Tragedy: Friends Association Urges That US Pilots Be Punished

Seven months after the largest aviation accident in Brazilian territory, when 154 people died ...

Brazil Wants to Lower Number of Blank and Annulled Votes

The president of Brazil’s Federal Election Board (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral) (TSE), Marco Aurélio de ...

Brazil’s Supreme Justice Wants Army in Rio to Clean Favelas for Olympics

Former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso's party, the PSDB (Party of the Brazilian Social Democracy), ...

Brazil cattle in Mato Grosso state

Europe Tells Brazil to Clean Up Its Act or Suffer Total Beef Ban

Animal health authorities in Brazil have been told in no uncertain terms that the ...