Amazon forest fire: Bolsonaro to accept G7 aid if his conditions are met

Brazil's refusal to accept G7 aid might be reversed if the country is free to decide how to utilise the funds. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had also claimed that he would be willing to accept the G7 funds if French President Emmanuel Macron apologised to him for making "offensive comments."

At the G7 summit, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States collectively pledged more than $20m (£16m). Britain separately pledged $12m (£10m) and Canada pledged $11m (£9m) as an aid to combat the fires. France also offered military forces to assist the Brazilian fire fighting efforts.

According to the G1 news website, Bolsonaro's chief-of-staff, Onyx Lorenzoni, claimed that Brazil would refuse to accept the money. Lorenzoni also mocked Macron for trying to give advice on Amazon's fire troubles while he could do nothing to prevent Notre Dame from burning down.

Macron discussed the plight of the Amazon forest and its indigenous people at the G7 summit. Macron stated that while he respected Brazil's sovereignty, Bolsonaro should not be allowed to destroy the Brazilian Amazon. Over 60% of the rainforest lies within Brazilian territory. Allowing Bolsonaro to decimate the forest would have catastrophic consequences globally.

The accusation that the Brazilian President does not care about the best interests of the rainforest has come from various sources. Heightened logging and the reduced protection of the forest have drawn international criticism. However, Bolsonaro seems to have taken Macron's accusations as personal attacks. Bolsonaro encouraged social media trolls who commented negatively on the looks of the French First Lady. Bolsonaro also demanded an apology from Macron for accusing him of being a thief.

State representatives met with the Brazilian president and discussed the necessity of the international funds. Even though Bolsonaro has realised that the funds and international support are required, he refused to accept the aid unconditionally.

In a correspondence with Al Jazeera, Thiago de Aragao, director at the Brasilia-based political consultancy Arko Advice said: "A few days ago Bolsonaro himself said there wasn't enough money to monitor and combat these fires in the Amazon, so although Brazil is a very wealthy country, the allocation of money is a very bureaucratic procedure and in this particular area there wasn't enough money."

If the G7 countries agree to send the funds in adherence to Bolsonaro's demands, the donors will have no control over the use of the funds. US President Donald Trump shared his support of Bolsonaro over twitter.

Whether the funds will be accepted and utilised fairly is to be seen in the coming days.