Renata Giraldi      Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília – Brazil will send a committee of four ministers of state to Rome this weekend for the election of a new head of the United Nations Organization of Food and Agriculture (FAO). The election will be on Sunday (June 26). The Brazilian committee will be headed by minister of Foreign Relations, Antonio Patriota.

Graziano is running against five other candidates: the former Spanish chanceler, Miguel Ángel Moratinos; the vice-minister of Social Welfare of Indonesia, Indroyono Soesilo; the minister of Agriculture of Austria, Franz Fischle; the ex-representative of Iran at FAO, Mohammed Saeid Noori-Naeini and the ex-minister of Water Resources of Iraq, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid.

It is seen as possible that the candidates of Spain and Austria may join forces with one dropping out and the other supporting the one that stays in the running. Although not confirmed, the move would strengthen the remaining European candidate.

Graziano’s chances are seen as strong as he has a powerful record as one of the pioneers in the income redistribution programs at the beginning of the Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration when he was minister of Food Security and Hunger Combat (“Segurança Alimentar e do Combate à Fome”).

Allen Bennett – translator/editor The News in English

Link - Brasil reforça comitiva para intensificar campanha de Graziano ao comando da FAO