Brasília, 9/15/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Tomorrow president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva begins a series of foreign trips that are seen as important for Brazilian policy and commerce. First stop is in Columbia.
In Bogota Lula will participate in the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the International Coffee Organization, which has long been a strong tie between Brazil and its neighbor. During talks with president Alvaro Uribe, Lula will attempt to bring the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) and Mercosur closer together as part of a larger effort to establish a united front in international negotiations.
Although the civil war and drug trafficking are not on the official agenda, the two presidents will discuss them. Brazil has already offered to host a meeting between the government of Columbia and the guerrilla movement, Farc (Forças Armadas Revolucionárias da Colômbia), under the auspíces of the United Nations in a neutral country. A more active presence of Brazil in the talks between the Columbian government and the guerrillas is seen as a way to further strengthen bilateral relations.
At the moment, Columbia has very close ties with the United States because of Plan Columbia and its financial contribution to the fight against the guerrillas and drugs. But Lula has said, most recently at a meeting of the Economic and Social Development Council, that he wants to tell Uribe that he can also depend on Brazil.
Between September 22 and 25, Lula will be in New York for the opening of the UN General Assembly session. On the 23rd, he will speak to the meeting. Lula will be followed by the presidents of the United States (George W. Bush), Peru (Alexandre Toledo), and France (Jacques Chirac), and then the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan. Lula will specifically address the world's social problems with emphasis on the fight against hunger. He will also speak of the role of the UN in resolving international conflicts.
On September 25 and 26, Lula will be in Mexico for talks on economic integration. The final stop on the trip will be on the 26th, in Cuba, where he will sign various cooperation agreements. (AB)
