Priscilla Mazenotti
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - The president elect of Haiti, Renê Preval, during his visit to Brasilia on Friday, expressed his gratitude for the assistance Brazil has given his country in reestablishing democracy and called for the continued presence of Brazilian troops as part of the UN Stabilization Mission (Minustah) in his country.

"The troops are important. Our country is going through a critical moment. We hope that the democratic process will be operational soon," declared Perval. Speaking in the Congress, he asked opposition members to support the presence of Brazilian soldiers in Haiti because otherwise
the situation there could become very complicated.

Perval said he saw his visit to Brasilia as an opportunity to strengthen ties between the two nations. "We have a lot of potentially interesting projects in agriculture and infrastructure. I intend to reinforce bilateral cooperation and get things moving," he said.

Perval met with members of the Senate Foreign Relations and Defense Commission. According to the president of the commission, Roberto Saturnino (PT-RJ), "Brazil is a nation that wants to occupy a strong position in favor of peace, international law and justice. We see our mission in Haiti as an example of this position. It is a mission of peace, democracy, cooperation and justice. We are proud of what we are doing and certain that our troops and diplomacy will be successful there." said the senator.

Translation: Allen Bennett