According to a statement by France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will make an official visit to France from July 12-15, 2005.
The visit is one of the high points in the Année du Brésil en France (Brazil Year in France). Lula will be accompanied by several ministers, including External Relations Minister Celso Amorim, Industry Minister Luiz Furlan, Culture Minister Gilberto Gil, and Brazilian businessmen.
On July 13 the Brazilian president will take part in a colloquium at the Sorbonne on the theme, “Brazil, global player.”
He will be received for luncheon by MEDEF and the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and will speak at the Franco-Brazilian forum for civil society organized by Coordination Sud and ABONG, at the Economic and Social Council.
In the evening he will be received by the mayor of Paris and will attend the Bastille concert.
The following day, President Lula da Silva will watch the July 14 parade with President Chirac in which Brazilian troops are participating.
On the 15th, Lula will be received by the Prime Minister in the morning. He will then have a meeting with Chirac. The discussions will focus on bilateral relations, especially in the sphere of cooperation.
They will address multilateral questions including United Nations reform, the situation in Haiti and development financing. Regional issues will also be on the agenda, specifically EU-Mercosur relations.
The meeting between the two presidents will be preceded by a short press briefing. In the afternoon, several bilateral agreements will be signed at the Elysée Palace, with both presidents present.
These agreements deal with the construction of the Oiapoque bridge; aeronautics cooperation; the establishment of bilateral working groups on energy, space and high technologies; movie co-production; and the environment.
Mr. Douste-Blazy will meet with his counterpart, Celso Amorim, on Friday, July 15, in the afternoon.