A scheduled trip to the United States from Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff has been cancelled after a report leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the spy agency had intercepted emails from the president's office as well as from the government owned oil company Petrobras, reports the BBC.
In a statement released by Rouseff's office the Brazilian leader says that she wants an apology from President Barack Obama and hopes that the trip can be re-scheduled at some point, according to USA Today.
"Given the proximity of the scheduled state visit to Washington and in the absence of a timely investigation... there aren't conditions for this trip to be made," Rouseff said in a statement. "The Brazilian government is confident that when the question is settled in an adequate manner, the state visit can quickly occur."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said that President Obama and Rouseff spoke on the phone Monday night.
"[President Obama] made clear that he is committed to working together with President Rousseff and her government in diplomatic channels to move beyond this issue as a source of tension in our bilateral relationship," Carney said.
Rouseff is prepared to face a difficult re-election bid next year and is looking to make sure that she doesn't appear weak after Brazilians were outraged upon learning about the NSA's spying, according to the Associated Press.
"The main objective (of Dilma's decision) is political and involves her re-election next year," David Fleischer, a political scientist from the University of Brasilia, told the Associated Press. "By standing up to the U.S. cyber-espionage, it'll help her popularity and increase her standing in the polls."
Rouseff's scheduled October visit was to be the first by a Brazilian leader since 1995.
"President Obama looks forward to welcoming President Rouseff to Washington at a date to be mutually agreed," the White House statement read. "Other important cooperation mechanisms, including the presidential dialogues on political, economic, energy, and defense cooperation, will continue."
