Brazilian leader says fingerprint policy pointless

By Reuters and The Associated Press

	Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
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The United States says the week-old policy of fingerprinting arrivals from all but 27 countries is aimed at tracking terrorists, preventing criminals from entering the country and controlling illegal immigration.

Brazil retaliated by requiring U.S. citizens entering the South American country to be fingerprinted as well.

"If the problem is to fight terrorism, this measure makes no sense. We have no culture of terrorism (in Brazil)," Lula said at the Summit of the Americas in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey.

Lula said the fingerprint issue had created a "negative climate" between the two countries. It was the first time the Brazilian government has openly criticized the U.S. policy.

Lula met President Bush at the Summit of the Americas on Monday night and proposed both nations exempt each other's nationals from visa requirements and thus end fingerprint checks. The United States requires fingerprints be taken from people who enter the country using a visa.

Brazilians are one of the top groups of illegal immigrants detained in the United States and among leaders in the use of forged documents to enter the nation, U.S. authorities say. Brazilian government officials privately complain that the U.S. measure is aimed at illegal immigrants using forged documents, and that the United States is using the threat of terrorism to justify tougher controls.

On Monday, Brazilian Justice Minister Thomaz Bastos issued an executive order extending the country's policy of photographing and fingerprinting arriving Americans for another 30 days.

But Americans who enter through Rio de Janeiro are getting flowers, jewelry and T-shirts along with the red tape.

"This is our way of saying that Rio de Janeiro loves American tourists, no matter what," said Fuad Atala, spokesman for the Rio de Janeiro tourism board.

"It works," said Eric Tillman, a jazz pianist from New York, who arrived in Rio for vacation yesterday. "It's very nice."

City officials are worried that the fingerprinting could affect travel to Rio for its famous Carnival, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors every February.

Since becoming president early last year, Lula has challenged the U.S. over farm-trade barriers and opposed the war in Iraq.

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