Brasília - Today president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will spend the day at the Palacio do Planalto, holding a series of meetings and talks. At 10:00 am, he will meet with minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues. At 11:00 am, Lula has a telephone conversation scheduled with the president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko. At the end of the morning the president will meet with leaders of a group of farmers who are demonstrating in Brasilia in favor of more government assistance for the farm sector.

In the afternoon, at 3:00 pm, a meeting is scheduled with the president of Itaipu Binacional, Jorge Samek. Following that, at 4:00 pm, Lula will meet with minister Jaques Wagner, head of the Special Secretariat of the Council for Economic and Social Development. At 5:30 pm the president will meet with Luiz Fernando Furlan, minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. At 6:00 pm Lula has a meeting with the president of Infraero, Carlos Wilson. And at 6:30 pm. with the president of the Banco Popular, Geraldo Magela.

Translator: Allen Bennett