Germany's Westerwelle ends visit to Brazil in Rio slum

Feb 15, 2012, 21:24 GMT

Rio de Janeiro - German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle ended his three-day visit to Brazil Wednesday, with a walk though one of the many favelas (slums) in Rio de Janeiro.

Westerwelle launched Monday in Brasilia an eight-day Latin American tour that will also take him to Peru, Panama and Mexico.

On Wednesday, he toured the narrow alleys of the favela Mangueira, one of 19 in Rio that have been taken over by police in recent months. The neighbourhood is close to Maracana stadium, which is set to host the final of the 2014 football World Cup.

In the sweltering summer heat, Westerwelle was accompanied by Rio de Janeiro state Public Security Minister Jose Mariano Beltrame.

The host explained the authorities' efforts to regain control of poor districts previously dominated by drug gangs, with a mix of security, social programmes and public and private investment.

'We want to turn a divided city into an integrated city,' Beltrame said.

Westerwelle talked to some local children and praised Rio authorities for their actions.

'Solving the security question, fighting violence and crime, is quite a central issue for people,' he said.

He had already visited a favela in his 2010 trip to Brazil.

Westerwelle is keen to position Germany ahead of the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, which are set to be held in Rio.

Earlier, he met in central Rio with Brazilian tycoon Eike Batista, whom Forbes magazine lists as the world's eighth-wealthiest man worth an estimated 27 billion dollars. Batista's mother was born in Germany, and he himself lived in the European country in his youth.

Later Wednesday, he was scheduled to meet with Rio de Janeiro state Governor Sergio Cabral.

Westerwelle is to travel to Peru Thursday.

In Brasilia, he met with Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota Monday to discuss global affairs, deepen ties and prepare the visit that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is planning to make to Germany next month.

On Tuesday, in Sao Paulo, he opened the German House of Science and Innovation (DWIH), an initiative to promote the European power's status as a strategic partner for rapidly-growing Brazil. This is the sixth DWIH around the world, with others in Tokyo, New York, Moscow, New Delhi and Cairo. These facilities are to represent German universities, research institutes and foundations abroad.

Brazil is a key trade partner for Germany. German exports to the South American giant amounted to 12.5 billion euros (16.5 billion dollars) in 2010, up 27 per cent compared to the previous year.

On the weekend, Westerwelle is to take part in a Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers summit in Los Cabos, Mexico.

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