By Lisandra Paraguassu
BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has decided to expel Nicaragua’s ambassador in Brasilia in retaliation following a similar move by Daniel Ortega’s government, a source told Reuters on Thursday.
Nicaraguan diplomat Patricia Castro Matus’ expulsion comes after the government of Nicaragua’s Ortega decided to expel Brazilian Ambassador Breno de Souza da Costa after threats to do so three weeks ago, said an official at Brazil’s foreign ministry, who asked to not be identified.
Nicaraguan Vice-President Rosario Murillo later confirmed that Brazil’s ambassador had left the capital Managua earlier that day and the Nicaraguan ambassador in Brazil would return for a post in the Central American nation’s economy ministry.
The spat confirms declining relations between Brazil’s Lula and some of the other Latin American left-wing governments that have increased with division over Venezuela’s contested presidential election.
Lula has criticized the Venezuelan government for not releasing the vote tallies.
The source had told Reuters that Brazil’s ambassador was informed on Thursday that he should leave the country.
According to the source, Matus was already under notice of expulsion and had been expected to leave Brazil on Thursday.
Last month, Brazil’s ambassador angered the Nicaragua government by not attending celebrations of the 45th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution, leading to threats of expulsion and diplomatic rupture, which is now expected to happen.
Relations between Brazil and Nicaragua have been deteriorating since Lula tried to broker the release from jail of Catholic bishop and vocal Ortega critic Rolando Jose Alvarez last year at the request of Pope Francis.
Lula told foreign reporters recently that he had tried to call Ortega last year, after the pope asked him to intervene, but the Nicaragua president did not accept the call.
Since then, Brazil’s foreign ministry has kept relations with Nicaragua at a bare minimum, only to deal with the needs of Brazilian citizens in Managua.
(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Additional reporting by Ismael Lopez; Editing by Josie Kao, Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler)
