Brasília, 29 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Osmar Chohfi, and the president of the Brazil-Arabian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB), Paulo Sérgio Atallah, will make an official visit to Saudi Arabia on May 5 and 6, Kuwait on May 7 and 8 and the Arab Emirates from May 9 to 12. The objectives of the mission are to gather more information on the position of those governments regarding the situation in the Mideast, and to study opportunities for increased trade.

In 2000, bilateral Arab-Brazilian trade was US$2.8 billion. In 2001, it had risen over 52% to a total of almost US$3.5 billion, with Brazil exporting US$2.04 billion to the region, and importing almost US$1.5 billion. (AB)