São Paulo,6/22/2004(Agência Brasil) - Trade between Brazil and Namibia has risen 40% since the visit by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva last November, but Lula says he is not satisfied and wants more.

Yesterday, during a meeting with the visiting president of Namibia, Sam Nujoma, Lula said as much, pointing out that bilateral trade "remains modest."

Lula said that trade with countries such as Namibia was part of an important Brazilian strategy - strengthening trade among developing nations. "By strengthening South-South trade we bolster the chances of successfully renewing the World Trade Organization negotiations begun at Doha," said the president.

"Namibia is grateful for the Brazilian effort to alleviate the negative effects of globalization in emerging economies," declared Nujoma.

Meanwhile, Lula announced that Brazil and Namibia will move ahead with agreements in the naval area. Brazil will sell five vessels to Namibia (mostly coastal patrol boats) at a cost of US$35 million. Brazil will participate in a survey of Namibian coastal waters. And the Brazilian navy will donate a corvette to the Namibian navy at a ceremony this Friday in the state of Bahia.

One of the most important areas of cooperation between Brazil and Namibia is AIDS prevention and treatment. "We are working together to ensure that the population of Africa has access, as soon as possible, to the drugs that are necessary to control this plague," said Lula.

Nujoma declared that "Namibia and all of Africa support a permanent seat on the UN Security Council for Brazil." He added that Brazil always supported the liberation of Namibia and that his country is deeply thankful for that help.

Nujoma announced that he will support president Lula's idea for the creation of an International Fund to Combat Poverty, which will be on the UN agenda in September at its regular meeting of the General Assembly.

(Translator: Allen Bennett)