President Obama arrived in Rio de Janeiro just after 8 pm this evening after a day spent meeting with President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia. As expected Rousseff brought up Brazil's opposition to US ethanol tariffs and her country's aspirations for a permanent U.N. Security Council seat. Obama, however, stopped short of supporting those aspirations.
The New York Times says that Rousseff cancelled a joint press conference with Obama at the last moment. Instead, she agreed only to a joint statement. Rumor has it that she didn't want to face questions on Brazil's abstention from the U.N. vote on Libya, and Obama's lack of explicit support for a permanent security council seat. Brazilian officials denied the rumors.
And for those who are interested, Michelle Obama looked stunning in yellow and blue as she disembarked from Air Force One.
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