Brasília - Yesterday president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met at the Palácio do Planalto with the prime minister of Portugal, Pedro Santana Lopes, for talks on issues of bilateral interest. Among those issues is the summit at the UN on hunger and misery combat on September 20. Following the meeting,Lopes was a special guest at Brazilian Independence Day celebrations in Brasilia where he watched the parade at the Esplanada of the Ministries at the side of Lula and members of the Brazilian government.

Today prime minister Lopes will be in Rio where he will offer a reception for the Portuguese community there and visit the city's Portuguese Reading Room (Real Gabinete Português de Leitura). Tomorrow, also in Rio, Lopes will inaugurate an exposition of Traditional Portuguese Art and award a literary prize (Premio Camões 2004) to the Portuguese writer, Agustina Bessa-Luis.

Agencia Brasil
Translator: Allen Bennett
9/8/2004