Brazil is the latest Latin American country to publicly refuse a Royal Navy warship permission to visit one of its ports. A planned call to Rio de Janeiro by the permanent Falkland Islands Protection Vessel, HMS Clyde, was denied in early January, just days after the inauguration of the country’s new left-wing President. Instead, the patrol ship was diverted to Chile. In September 2010 Uruguay blocked a routine visit to Montevideo by HMS Gloucester after Argentina requested its neighbours refuse such courtesies to any British vessels serving the disputed islands. The latest incident was shrugged off by the UK Foreign Office, but must be a cause for concern as the UK vies for potentially lucrative defence contracts with the Brazilians. The snub, the first by Brazil, also sends out mixed messages, as it comes only months after the signing of a defence pact between the two countries.
