Rousseff says Brazil far from terrorist targets, not completely safe

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said Monday that though her country is far from the targets of the Islamic State (IS) militant group, it is not completely safe, local media reported.

Rousseff commented on the recent terrorist attacks in Paris when attending the G20 Summit held in Turkey, saying that it seems that terrorist groups were more concentrated in the United States and Europe at this time.

She said, however, that does not mean Brazil is completely safe, especially given the fact that the country is to host the Summer Olympic Games next year, and that the Games used to be targeted by terrorists.

Therefore, security remains one of the largest concerns for the organization work of the Rio Olympics in 2016, she added.

Rousseff also talked about the causes of terrorism, saying that it is not fully caused by poverty even though poverty can make recruitment easier for terrorist groups.

The dissolution of state power can also contribute to the rise of terrorism, she said.

"Nobody thinks there is a single cause for terrorism," Rousseff said, who also vehemently rejected the connection between terrorism and a single religion.

"No one can label an entire religion as a terrorism sponsor, even though some members - but not the religion itself - can turn out to be violent," she said. Endi