Brazil–Iraq relations
Encyclopedia
Brazil-Iraq relations are the foreign relations between Brazil
and Iraq
. Brazil maintains an embassy in Baghdad
and Iraq maintains an embassy in Brasília
. Both countries are full members of the Group of 77
.
Brazil was the first Latin American country to reopen its embassy in Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War.
Brazil and Iraq had been major trading partners since the late 1970s. Brazil needed oil to run its industrial machine. Iraq needed food, technical support, appliances, automobiles and, perhaps most important, the "defensive" weapons made by Brazil. Brazil's relations with Iraq were downgraded during the Gulf War, when Brazil supported the U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed against Iraq. However since 2001, both countries resumed relations, in which the Brazilian government wanted to promote closer commercial ties with Baghdad and announced the re-activating of its embassy in Baghdad.
In the 1980s
, Brazil was an important supplier of industrialized products to Iraq, and it imported significant volumes of oil from Iraq. At that time, trade between the two countries reached up to 4 billion U.S. dollars per year.
When the Iran-Iraq War
broke out in 1980, nearly 35 percent of Brazil's oil imports were coming from Iraq. In 1981 it had been reported that Brazil had sold low-grade uranium ore
to Iraq.
The Brazilian newspaper Jornal da Tarde reported that about 40 Brazilian scientists were in the Osirak power plant during the 1981 Israeli bombing.
, which resulted in Operation Desert Storm in early 1991, placed Brazil in a very delicate position. United States congressional subcommittees accused Brazil of exporting technology and expertise to Iraq to develop a missile based on the Piranha missile (MAA-1)
. Retired Air Force Brigadier Hugo Oliveira Piva had taken a private group of Brazilian technicians to Baghdad to complete this project; under pressure, the Collor government ordered the group's return to Brazil.
During Operation Desert Storm, a Brazilian construction company, Mendes Júnior, had several hundred workers and technicians, as well as several million dollars worth of equipment, in southern Iraq working on railroad and irrigation projects. Thus, Brazil, unlike Argentina, did not participate in the Allied operation. The Brazilian government had to dispatch its key negotiator, Ambassador Paulo de Tarso Flecha de Lima, from his post in London to negotiate the release of the Mendes Júnior personnel from Iraq and the disposition of the equipment. Brazil was awarded a US$5 billion price and performance in supplying its Osório tank to Saudi Arabia
in 1990, but the Kuwait conflict changed the decision in favor of the United States Abrams tank.
, does not mean it does not wish to participate in the reconstruction of Iraq.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Brazil maintains an embassy in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and Iraq maintains an embassy in Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
. Both countries are full members of the Group of 77
Group of 77
The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
.
Brazil was the first Latin American country to reopen its embassy in Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War.
History
Brazil first established diplomatic relations with Iraq in 1967, and in late 1973, Brazil opened an embassy in Iraq and signed cooperation agreements with Iraq. In 1975, because of the deepening petroleum crisis and in search of petrodollar investments, Brazil favoured its foreign policy towards the Arab cause in three crucial votes in the UN. Brazil's military government upgraded its representation in Iraq by appointing a succession of four-star generals as ambassadors to Baghdad.Brazil and Iraq had been major trading partners since the late 1970s. Brazil needed oil to run its industrial machine. Iraq needed food, technical support, appliances, automobiles and, perhaps most important, the "defensive" weapons made by Brazil. Brazil's relations with Iraq were downgraded during the Gulf War, when Brazil supported the U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed against Iraq. However since 2001, both countries resumed relations, in which the Brazilian government wanted to promote closer commercial ties with Baghdad and announced the re-activating of its embassy in Baghdad.
In the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, Brazil was an important supplier of industrialized products to Iraq, and it imported significant volumes of oil from Iraq. At that time, trade between the two countries reached up to 4 billion U.S. dollars per year.
When the Iran-Iraq War
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
broke out in 1980, nearly 35 percent of Brazil's oil imports were coming from Iraq. In 1981 it had been reported that Brazil had sold low-grade uranium ore
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
to Iraq.
The Brazilian newspaper Jornal da Tarde reported that about 40 Brazilian scientists were in the Osirak power plant during the 1981 Israeli bombing.
The Iraq-Kuwait conflict
The Gulf WarGulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, which resulted in Operation Desert Storm in early 1991, placed Brazil in a very delicate position. United States congressional subcommittees accused Brazil of exporting technology and expertise to Iraq to develop a missile based on the Piranha missile (MAA-1)
Mectron MAA-1 Piranha
The MAA-1 Piranha 1 is a short-range infrared homing missile and the first air-to-air missile developed by Brazil for its Air Force and Navy. It was designed to replace the AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles in Brazilian service and has since been exported to Colombia and Pakistan.-History:Development of an...
. Retired Air Force Brigadier Hugo Oliveira Piva had taken a private group of Brazilian technicians to Baghdad to complete this project; under pressure, the Collor government ordered the group's return to Brazil.
During Operation Desert Storm, a Brazilian construction company, Mendes Júnior, had several hundred workers and technicians, as well as several million dollars worth of equipment, in southern Iraq working on railroad and irrigation projects. Thus, Brazil, unlike Argentina, did not participate in the Allied operation. The Brazilian government had to dispatch its key negotiator, Ambassador Paulo de Tarso Flecha de Lima, from his post in London to negotiate the release of the Mendes Júnior personnel from Iraq and the disposition of the equipment. Brazil was awarded a US$5 billion price and performance in supplying its Osório tank to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
in 1990, but the Kuwait conflict changed the decision in favor of the United States Abrams tank.
Iraq War 2003
Brazilian Ambassador Bernardo de Azevedo Brito to Iraq said although Brazil did not support the U.S.-led military invasion of Iraq in 2003, which deposed former Iraqi President Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, does not mean it does not wish to participate in the reconstruction of Iraq.