Obama holds Brazil up as model for the Middle East

RIO DE JANEIRO: US President Barack Obama told Brazilians on Sunday their flourishing economy and burgeoning democracy provided a model for Middle Eastern countries seeking to emerge from ongoing turmoil.

"Brazil today is a flourishing democracy. A place where people are free to speak their mind and choose their leaders," Obama said during the first leg of a Latin America trip overshadowed by US-led military action in Libya. His speech came after France, the United States and Britain launched missile and bomb attacks on Libyan air-defence targets to prevent Moamer Qadhafi's forces from crushing a month-old uprising against his rule.