The arrival of United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, in BrasÀlia, capital of Brazil, yesterday, will be followed by official meetings today with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim.
Their discussions will focus on UN Security Council reform, democracy in Latin America, the situation in Venezuela and Haiti, and world hunger. Powell will be in Brasília until Wednesday.
Minister Amorim said the Powell visit was very important. He said Brazil and the US maintain a constant dialogue and seek to work together on many issues. “We agree on many. Sometimes we disagree because of nuances. But we always try to work together,” he declared.
Amorim recalled that Powell made a personal effort in getting the Friends of Venezuela Group off the ground. And the minister cited other international hot-button issues, such as Sudan and Haiti, as examples of the constant Brazil-US cooperative dialogue.
With regard to the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), Amorim said that in his opinion it could have been concluded on schedule if both countries had given it the same amount of attention they gave to issues at the World Trade Organization during the first half of this year.
This morning, at 8:30 am. US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, will be at the Hotel Hilton Morumbi, in the city of São Paulo, where he will speak to the American Chamber of Commerce. At 9:30, Powell is scheduled to inaugurate the new United States Consulate building in São Paulo.
At noon, Powell will fly to Brasilia for meetings with President Lula and Amorim.
Agência Brasil
Translator: Allen Bennett