Brasília, October 7, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Today, at a luncheon for the Norwegian royal couple, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that the two countries are committed to democratic values, human rights, social justice, environmental protection, and sustainable development. "Working together with the international community on these questions, we shall be able to respond to the greatest challenge of our time, the war against hunger and poverty."

According to Lula, Norway has contributed, alongside Brazil, to the world effort to combat hunger and poverty. "We need allies in this campaign. In light of its best traditions, we view Norway as a natural partner in this fight. A fight that is not just Brazil's, but all of humanity's," the President affirmed.

Promoting peace, according to Lula, also constitutes a priority for both countries. Lula classified as valuable the contribution that Norwegian diplomacy has made to the cause of peaceful solution of conflicts. The President cited the Brazilian-Norwegian seminar on peace, which King Harald V will inaugurate today, as an example of the two countries' commitment to the maintenance of peace and international security.

"We want even more expansion in trade and investments between Brazil and Norway. We need to take advantage of the broad areas of complementarity that exist between our economies," Lula affirmed, referring to important advances in the fields of petroleum exploration, fishing, agriculture, ocean transport, and hydroelectric energy. (DAS)