Of the many diplomatic items on the agenda for Barack Obama’s bilateral meeting with Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday, one is conspicuous by its absence: a formal American apology for spying on her.

It is the Brazilian president’s first state visit to Washington since Rousseff dramatically cancelled an earlier trip two years ago in the wake of the revelations from National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden that her emails, phone calls and text messages were under US surveillance.

Obama has pulled out all the stops to try to put the incident behind America and Brazil, including a visit to the Martin Luther King Jr memorial on Monday night that sought to underline their shared experience as civil rights champions and a grand state dinner at the White House capped with coconut banana opera cake.



Obama paved by the way for the visit during an encounter with Rousseff at the summit of the Americas in Panama, when he reassured her that his review of NSA practices meant it would not put allied leaders under surveillance in the future unless there was an overwhelming US security need.

“He has made clear that with someone like Dilma Rousseff, who I think over the years he’s had a good relationship with, he can speak directly with her and learn her views,” said deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes in a preview briefing with reporters.

“That has allowed us to clear that air and has opened the door to moving forward with not just this visit but a much more energised bilateral agenda,” he added. “So this visit I think really does indicate the extent to which we’ve turned the page and are moving forward.”

Except that amid all the clearing the air, it does not look like Rousseff will actually get the simple apology she requested.

Asked if Obama would say sorry, Rhodes – one of his closest advisers – replied: “We have not made it a practice to issue apologies related to our surveillance activities.”

Addressing the issue during her joint press conference with Obama, Rousseff acknowledged that her previous anger had led to her cancelling her last trip, but said trust had now been restored.

“President Obama and the US government have stated on several occasions that they would no longer engage in intrusive acts of spying on friendly countries. I believe President Obama,” she said.

“And furthermore, he has told me that should he ever need non-public information about Brazil, he would just pick up the phone and call me. So yes, I am certain that the conditions today have become very different.”

But Obama did not mention the allegations at all during his public remarks, calling for the two countries to “focus on the future”.

It is possible, of course, that such an expression of regret may still come out behind closed doors. But the emphatic denial by senior White House aides suggests this issue is more than simply a matter of not wishing to officially confirm the spying once took place.

A similar silence was evident last week when François Hollande also rang Obama to demand an explanation for revelations of US spying on French presidents. Although the Guardian asked Obama personally whether he would be apologising, there was no mention of the S-word when the White House released a summary of their call.

Only German chancellor Angela Merkel, whose rage came closest to Rousseff’s at the Snowden revelations, actually secured a rare public apology over the affair, but that was perhaps also related to the fact that the US has more to worry about in its relationship with Europe’s dominant power.

Brazil did exact some revenge – pointedly awarding a major military contract to Swedish-owned Gripen rather than the American favourite, Boeing – but both governments are now keen to move on with their stalled trade and defence relationship.



Yet observers of the relationship between the two great powers suggest this week’s summit will mainly be about re-establishing trust before anything more substantial can be achieved.

“The Brazilians felt that the relationship was a friendship and I think they took it to heart and they felt insulted. It meant a lot to them,” says Carl Meacham, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

In this respect, Meacham believes US stubbornness over making a Merkel-style apology may be mistaken.

“I believe that in foreign affairs you need to be pragmatic and realistic, and it’s important to acknowledge whatever grievances they have,” he adds. “If that involves talking about regret, so be it.”