São Paulo, December 4, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva disembarked early this afternoon at the Cumbica International Airport, in Guarulhos (São Paulo). On the occasion, Lula reaffirmed the importance of the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur), when he said that the bloc should serve as a basis for any negotiation with the United States and the European Union. (DAS)