RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian Trade and Industry Minister Fernando Pimentel on Wednesday refuted criticism from some European countries including France and Britain of trade protectionism.

"The criticism against Brazil is unfounded. Brazil has never been convicted in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and is one of the countries which follow the international trade regulations more strictly," he said.

The accusations are in fact a maneuver to get in the Brazilian market, the minister said.

"Protectionism is a concept that is used by developed countries when they want to get into other countries'markets. We know this game, it does not scare us," he added.

Commenting on the election of Brazilian diplomat Roberto Carvalho de Azevedo as WTO director-general, Pimentel said, "Roberto is impartial and, as the WTO director-general, cannot be for or against any country."

Azevedo told a press conference after his election in Geneva on Wednesday that his election is an indication of the rise of Latin America's participation in global trade and multilateral negotiations.

He said the WTO is not in a good situation at the moment, calling for the resumption of the Doha Development Round negotiations to make trade move forward.