Damascus - According to minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Luiz Fernando Furlan, Brazil should soon have a "Brazil House" in Beirute that will be a permanent show room for Brazilian goods and culture. "We are interested in more than just trade. We want this to be an interchange at the cultural level, as well," said the minister.

Furlan also announced that a satellite TV channel is under negotiation which would link Brazil and the Arab world. Furlan pointed out that Arabs, especially from Lebanon and Syria, are numerous in Brazil and have had a strong economic and cultural influence. The minister said the idea was to make that influence a two-way street. "It is through cultural exchange that business opportunities appear," he said.

One important advantage Brazil has is a positive image in the Arab world where there are now problems with the US, Furlan explained.

With regard to an article in the "Financial Times," saying that Brazil could have difficulties with the US because of the Lula trip to Arab countries, Furlan said he had a completely different view of the issue. "They see the trip as relevant. That is what counts. The worse thing that could happen would be for them to consider it insignificant," he said, adding that Lula's friendship with the US and Europe is well known.

Foreign Minister Celso Amorim rebutted the article with a curt statement: "It is a great newspaper that sometimes makes mistakes." (AB)