Questão de Língua Inglesa

Observe o texto abaixo, considerando-o para as questões de 21 a 27. Brazil criticizes Bolivia’s energy takeover The nationalization, announced by Bolivia’s President Evo Morales at a Workers’ Day rally Monday, appeared to take the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by surprise, and analysts said it could be a threat to Brazil’s aim of becoming a strong regional leader. “I consider this an unfriendly action,” Brazil’s Energy Minister Silas Rondeau told Globo TV. Lula held an emergency meeting Tuesday with senior officials in Brasilia to discuss Bolivia’s move. And his spokesman said he would discuss the situation with his counterparts in the region by telephone. Bolivia’s action could lead Lula to re-evaluate his foreign policy so as not to dent his standing before the October presidential election, analysts said. Lula had considered Morales an ally in forging a moderate alliance of leftist-leaning governments to counterbalance the interests of rich countries, such as the United States. Brazil is the largest foreign investor in Bolivia’s energy industry through the state oil company Petrobras. Morales deployed troops to occupy production fields and raised taxes on the mostly foreign operators there. He gave foreign companies 180 days to comply with the new rules or leave the country. Morales became president in January vowing to impose more state control over the natural resources of the poor Andean nation. One of a tide of leftist leaders who have won power in Latin America in recent years, he lauded Lula as his “big brother.” Morales announced the nationalization after a meeting with Castro and Chaves in Cuba, where they launched a “people’s trade agreement” as an alternative to U.S. trade interests in the region. Venezuela, one of the world’s largest oil exporters, already has provided aid to Bolivia, which has the second-largest natural gas reserve in South America. “There is no doubt the nationalist populism in Bolivia is inspired and aided by the Venezuelan president,” said Rubens Barbosa, Brazil’s former ambassador to the United States. “There is a discrepancy between [Brazil’s] ideological support and solidarity and Bolivia’s actions against Brazil.” Brazilian officials had negotiated with bolivian authorities for weeks to protect investments of more than $ 1.5 billion by Petrobras. Tensions had already emerged – in March, with Bolivia’s Energy Minister Andres Soliz accusing Brazil of treating it like a “semi-colony.” Riordan Roett of Johns Hopkins University said the Brazilian government had misunderstood Morales. “They were naive about the dynamics of Andean countries; there was no reason to believe Morales woul cut the Brazilians a special deal” Roett said. http://www.cnn.com/2006/world/americas/05/02/bolivia.brazil.revt/index.html.