Brazil rejects G7 Amazon fire aid over 'insults'

International Desk: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has ruled out accepting a G7 offer of aid to fight fires in the Amazon rainforest unless he gets an apology from his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Bolsonaro said the French leader should apologise for insulting him personally by calling him a liar, reports BBC.

Mr Macron had accused him of "lying" about fighting climate change.

Aid worth $22m (£18m) was announced by Mr Macron at a summit in France of the seven leading industrial powers.

Satellite data show a record number of fires burning in Brazil, most of them in the Amazon region.

Earlier, Brazilian ministers said the G7 money was not needed and they accused foreign powers of wanting control of the Amazon.

Last week, Mr Macron said Mr Bolsonaro had "lied" to him at a G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, in June by failing to respect his climate commitments and by failing to pursue biodiversity.

Mr Macron said France would not ratify a huge trade deal with South American nations unless Brazil did more to fight fires in the Amazon.

On Tuesday, Mr Bolsonaro told reporters in the capital Brasilia: "Mr Macron must withdraw the insults that he made to my person. Firstly, he called me a liar."

He also accused Mr Macron of questioning Brazilian sovereignty over the Amazon region, Brazilian news website G1 reports.

Agencies

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