Brasília, 6/19/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - This morning president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva embarked for the United States where he will arrive at 8:15 pm (Brasilia time); 5:15 pm EST.
This evening Lula will have a private dinner at the Brazilian embassy in Washington.

Tomorrow (Friday, June 20) at 8:50 EST, he will meet privately with president George W. Bush in the Oval Office. Then the two presidents will join an expanded meeting with members of their respective governments (Lula is accompanied on this trip by 10 cabinet members). Following that meeting, Lula and Bush will have lunch at the White House. After lunch Lula will speak to the press.

In the afternoon Lula will have meetings with financial sector and union leaders. First he will meet the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Horst Kohler. Then the president of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn. Lula's third meeting of the day will be at the Brazilian embassy with John Sweeney, the president of the AFL-CIO.

Lula will also meet with the president of the Interamerican Development Bank, Enrique Iglesias.

Lula is scheduled to begin his return trip to Brazil tomorrow night. (AB)