io, 10 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Lafer, arrives in Paris today for a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Lafer will once again try to convince rich nations to participate in the Second World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10).

According to Lafer, Rio+10 will play a key role in other multilateral negotiations, including those at the World Trade Organization. "If Rio+10 fails, there will be a negative effect on other international negotiations," said the minister.

In a speech at the Brazil 2003-2006 seminar yesterday, before leaving for Europe, Lafer described the international scenario as fragmented, with an overlapping of various concepts where before there were divisions. Thus, it is expected that at Rio+10 there will be disagreements which did not occur in the past. Meanwhile, inn the strategic-military area, according to the minister, the situation is a seesaw between war and peace. And as for trade, progress is now being obstructed by a rebirth of protectionism in the United States and Europe. (AB)