Brazil 'very concerned' over US military deployment in Caribbean

Sao Paulo, Nov 24 Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Sunday that he was "very concerned" about the US military deployment in the Caribbean Sea and planned to talk with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to prevent conflict with Venezuela.

South America is considered a "zone of peace," free of nuclear weapons, and "there is nothing to justify a conflict," Lula told Brazilian media after attending the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"War makes no sense. It's simple to start a war, you just have to give them an opportunity ... It is important that we try to find a solution before we start," he said.

Brazil has an important responsibility in South America, as it shares a border with Venezuela, Lula added.

The US military has beefed up its presence in the Caribbean Sea in recent weeks since Washington announced the decision to crack down on drug trafficking in the region that allegedly leads to the deaths of millions of Americans, reports Xinhua news agency.

Lula also said that the arrest of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro should not affect bilateral ties between Brazil and the United States because Brazil is a sovereign country.

Bolsonaro was taken into preventive custody by police Saturday morning in Brasilia under an order issued by the Federal Supreme Court.

Referring to Trump's comment on Bolsonaro's arrest, Lula said, "Trump needs to know that we are a sovereign country and that our justice system decides."

Bolsonaro, he said, will serve the sentence handed down by the courts for his deeds.

According to US media reports, when asked about Bolsonaro's arrest on Saturday, US President Donald Trump appeared unaware of it before lamenting the development as "too bad."

In September, Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty of involvement in an attempted coup in Brazil in a bid to stay in power after losing reelection.

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