Tom Ridge's response to Brazil's request

[imrthr]

Extract from today's Reuter's:

 

In reaction to the new U.S. policy put in place today, Brazil last week began fingerprinting and photographing American visitors arriving at Sao Paulo's airport. Brazil's Foreign Ministry has also requested that Brazilians be removed from the U.S. list.

 

Ridge said that "if the Brazilian government thinks it's in their interests (to fingerprint and photograph Americans), so be it."

 

"It's not two standards, one for the United States and one for the rest of the world," he said. Request denied.

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Based on Ridge's intransigence, it appears that the retaliation of fingerprinting and photographs by the Brazilian government will remain in force, at least for the time being. Like I said in my prior posting, I will continue to visit Brazil despite the "tit-for-tat" reponse from Brazil.

[sf traveler]

Today's Folha de S. Paulo, one of the main Brazilian newspapers, says that the Brazilian government has decided to appeal the decision obligating it to fingerprint and photograph American visitors and hopes to have it overturned. The government, justifiably in my view, fears that these measures will cause a drop in tourism. Others, notably the mayor of Rio, have expressed the same fears. The newspapers also say that they've reduced the procedures a bit and that at Sao Paulo's international airport it's only taking 2 minutes per passenger instead of the 6 minutes it was taking. This could still significantly increase waits at peak times however. Stay tuned for further developments. SF Traveler