Brazilian General Attempts To Influence US Election

by Is Lula Backing Bush?

Sat, Oct 16, 2004 10:03PM

In an interview posted on the website of Agencia Brasil, the Brazilian government's official news agency, Lieutenant-General Augusto Heleno Ribeiro said comments made in March by Kerry had raised the hopes of supporters of Jean-Bertrand Aristide that the former Haitian president would be able to return to power.

"Statements made by a candidate to the presidency of the United States created false hopes among pro-Aristide supporters," Ribeiro told the agency. "His (the candidate's) statements created the expectation that instability and a change in American policy would contribute to Aristide's return."

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/17/1097951533098.html?oneclick=true

Ignoring that Aristide was elected and the US supported a coup that now has an unelected leader in power, what's with the timing of this news item?

It's on the front page of the BBC right now:
Kerry gets blame for Haiti unrest
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3750350.stm

Lula has meet with Bush in the past:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/06/20030620-3.html
but he is usually portrayed as being at odds with the US President.

Its most likely just a right-wing general trying to get a leg up in the world by helping the darling of big business world-wide, but it did originate from the "government's official news agency" so there appears to be a little more than just that going on.

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