Brasília, 1/14/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says he will take advantage of his presence in Ecuador for the inauguration of Luiz Gutierrez to discuss the creation of a Friends of Venezuela Group.

According to presidential spokesman, Andre Singer, the objective of the group would be to support the negotiation effort by Organization of American States secretary general, Cesar Gaviria, to resolve the crisis in that country. Singer revealed that Brazilian Foreign Relations minister, Celso Amorim, has spoken to American Secretary of State, Colin Powell, regarding the matter. "There is a convergence of opinion concerning the need to overcome the crisis in Venezuela," said Singer. (AB)