Brasília - Following lunch with president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, the president elect of Bolivia, Evo Morales, will hold a press conference today at the Palácio do Itamaraty. He is expected to discuss his plans for his future government and relations with Brazil in the areas of politics, economy and trade.

Morales is the first ever president of Bolivia to be descended from the country's indigenous population (Morales is a member of the Aymara ethnic group. In Bolivia, 30% of the population is Quechua (another indigenous ethnic group), 30% is mestizo (mixed Indian and white), 25% is Aymara, and 15% is white. Quechua and Aymara cultures are actually closely related, although the former is much bigger. The Aymara group has a population of around 1.6 million which is concentrated in an area near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. The Quechua language, once the official language of the Inca Empire, is now spoken by some 13 million people in a large area stretching from southern Colombia, through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia to northern Chile and Argentina).

President Lula has announced that he intends to attend Morales' inauguration on January 22.

Translation: Allen Bennett