MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil ?Venezuela: A fruitful visit.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ended his 24-hour visit to Venezuela Monday evening, departing from the Maiquetia airport for neighboring Guyana.

During his brief official visit, the two governments signed 26 accords, memos of understanding, letters of intent and bilateral agreements that Lula said were "a model of (the) integration that we want to put in practice with other colleagues in the region." "We've come to the point of no return in the march toward integration," said Chavez earlier in the day, adding that the role Brazil must play in the process to unite Latin America against U.S. power was "vital."

Among the documents signed by representatives of the two governments were agreements between the two state-owned petroleum firms, Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) and Petrobras, to jointly search for, pump and sell crude oil and natural gas.

Alluding to the United States, the two leftist presidents agreed here that the key to continued growth of their national economies "is not in the north" and urged their business sectors to work more closely together.

"Your individual success will be the success of all of us. You don't have to be afraid to make alliances ... The solution for economic problems is not in the north, it's in our integration, in believing in ourselves," said Lula to businessmen of both nations meeting in Caracas.

Chavez, whose relationship with Washington has been stormy for years, echoed those remarks and emphasized that in his country "we are completely convinced that the solution is not in the north." The two leaders presided at a meeting for Venezuelan and Brazilian businessmen at the Miraflores presidential palace, after which they met behind closed doors.

"We have to be aware of the favorable breezes (which the two countries' economies are enjoying) to know how to navigate them and fly upon them. Today, we have very, very favorable conditions," Chavez said.

Lula vowed that the current bilateral trade amounting to $1.6 billion would rise this year to $3 billion. For the past three years, Brazil has had a trade surplus with Venezuela although previously Caracas was selling more to Brasilia than it was buying.

"Integration is the number one priority of my foreign policy and it requires an increase in commercial exchanges," Lula said, emphasizing his belief that "we are starting out on a road toward the soundness of our economies." "I'm not going to miss this new opportunity ... Only in this way are we going to pay the social debt we have to the people and which I, in particular, have made the commitment to pay," he added. Lula also said he was very glad about what was happening in Venezuela, "where we are seeing a government concerned with the industrialization of the country."

"We cannot miss this opportunity," Chavez repeated and - in a humorous tone - he said that the talks were coinciding with the celebration of Valentine's Day, provoking laughter from Lula and the businessmen. "We must not let the bureaucracy block integration. It's a daily struggle and we must not let down our guard for one second," he declared. The two leaders also renewed their commitment to Latin American integration, something Chavez said had "fragmented." In addition, he called for "real unity respecting diversity" in the region. "Accelerating the march toward the integration of the south is a priority, now more than ever because of the many threats," he said.

Chavez, a leftist former army colonel and fervent admirer of Cuba's Fidel Castro, has railed in recent months against the Bush administration, describing it as a warmonger and suggesting it might have designs on Venezuela, a major oil producer.