Brazil’s Defence Minister resigns

Brazilian Defence Minister Nelson Jobim tendered his resignation only hours after he made disparaging comments about fellow officials during an interview.

Jobim, who took office in 2003 during the government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, will be replaced by former Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, the president's office reported.

Defence Minister Nelson Jobim tendered his resignation during a brief meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff late on Thursday, a government spokesman said. Rousseff had given him the choice to resign or be fired, a government source told the press on condition of anonymity.

Jobim is the third minister to lose his job because of clashes with Rousseff or corruption allegations. The turnover has strained relations among members of her 15-party coalition and contributed to the paralysis of economic reforms in Congress.

Jobim had reportedly been unhappy in his job virtually from the moment he agreed to continue as defense minister under Rousseff. He was one of several top officials who also served under her predecessor.

After long keeping the strains behind closed doors, Jobim had become openly insubordinate in recent weeks.

First he raised eyebrows in Brasilia by saying at an opposition party event that he was surrounded by "idiots." Then he said in a TV interview that he had voted for Rousseff's opponent, Jose Serra, in last year's election.

The last straw appears to have been a magazine interview, parts of which were leaked on Thursday, in which Jobim reportedly called one minister a "little weakling."

He also said that Gleisi Hoffmann, who in June took the critical job of chief of staff, "doesn't even know Brasilia," Folha de S.Paulo newspaper reported.

Jobim denied he had criticized Hoffmann and said the report was part of a campaign to undermine him.

Nevertheless, Rousseff grew tired of Jobim's constant criticism, especially at a moment when she is trying to repair ties with other parties and also deal with possible fallout in Brazil from the global financial crisis, the government source said.