Former ambassadress Lúcia Flecha de Lima dies in Brasília at age 76

Former Ambassadress Lúcia Flecha de Lima died with cancer at age 76 in Brasília on Sunday (April 2). She was married to retired diplomat Paulo Tarso Flecha de Lima, who served as Brazil's ambassador to Washington, Rome and London, and as Secretary-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

President Michel Temer lamented her death on his Twitter account. “I regret to hear of the demise of Ambassadress Lúcia Flecha de Lima. My condolences to Ambassador Paulo de Tarso and his family at such a sad moment,” Temer said.

The governor of the Federal District, Rodrigo Rollemberg, also lamented the death of the former ambassadress, who served as the Federal District's Secretary of Tourism and headed the Casa do Candango non-profit nursery and nursing home. “The city [of Brasília] regrets the death of former ambassadress Lúcia Flecha de Lima, who served Brasília and the country in her public office as ambassadress in major capital cities around the world,” the governor said.

Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes Ferreira also conveyed his condolences to Paulo de Tarso and his family. “Dona Lúcia, as she was known, had a unique trajectory, as shown in the episode alongside her husband of the liberation of Saddam Hussein's Brazilian hostages. She has left the mark of a good performance in this city as well, by serving as Secretary of Tourism of the Federal District and leading Casa do Candango nonprofit organization, not to mention her work at the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs,” the minister said in a statement.

Translated by Mayra Borges