MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Rousseff complains about US expansionist monetary policy during meeting with Obama

The meeting was far longer than programmed but distances remain

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff complained about US monetary policy and expressed concern that sanctions against Iran could backfire in a meeting with President Barack Obama on Monday, highlighting strains between the continent’s biggest economies.

Rousseff said low interest rates and other expansionist policies in wealthy nations have created a glut of global liquidity, which in turn has the unintended effect of damaging growth in emerging countries such as Brazil.

She also raised concerns with Obama that sanctions against Iran could fuel tensions in the Middle East and cause a spike in oil prices, threatening the global economic recovery.

Her comments punctuated a generally cordial White House visit that yielded some modest advances in cooperation on aviation and technology sharing, but also exposed clear differences on trade, economic policy and foreign affairs.

“Expansionist monetary policies ... ultimately lead to a depreciation in the value of the currencies of developed countries, thus impairing growth outlooks in emerging countries,” Rousseff told reporters in the Oval Office, as Obama looked on.

Obama, who spoke first, struck a more conciliatory tone, calling Rousseff a “good friend.” He congratulated Brazil for making “extraordinary progress” in reducing poverty.

“Our trade and investment is reaching record levels, which creates jobs and business opportunities in both countries,” Obama said.

Brazil came into the meeting seeking greater US recognition for its recent economic rise and increased investment in its economy, which has stalled in recent months. The White House wants greater access for US companies to Brazil's growing consumer market of about 190 million people.

But the leaders' meeting ran for more than 75 minutes, half an hour longer than scheduled, in what officials from both countries described as a hopeful sign that they can establish better communication on key issues going forward.

A senior Brazilian official told Reuters the conversation included disagreements about Cuba and the Middle East but that the overall tenor and attention devoted to Brazil's concerns was “much better than anyone expected.”

Speaking at a media briefing shortly after the Oval Office meeting, White House spokesman Jay Carney declined to comment on how Obama responded to Rousseff's concerns over monetary policy.

Rousseff voiced her concerns about Iran sanctions at a working lunch between the leaders, the officials said. Brazil has generally opposed sanctions against Iran and Syria, arguing that they increase the risk of armed conflict.

Still, most of the day's business focused on how to boost bilateral trade, which totalled about 74 billion dollars in 2011. Brazil is the world's sixth largest economy but only the eighth biggest foreign market for US goods.

In her meeting with Obama and later before business leaders, Rousseff said Brazil would welcome greater US investment in infrastructure, especially as the country prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

The leaders signed a memorandum of understanding to expand ties in the aviation sector, which they said in a statement should allow for greater travel and tourism.

Talks over greater trade integration yielded little progress. A joint statement released by Rousseff and Obama after their meeting said they had “further emphasized the importance of the mutual benefits of stimulating increased trade and investment,” but mentioned no major advances.