MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Obama pledges closer political and trade links with Brazil

Lula has an appointment with Obama next March

United States President Barack Obama wants to work with Brazil on bio-fuels and global trade talks as a way to strengthen bilateral relations and address the international economic crisis, President Lula da Silva's spokesman said on Monday.

Lula da Silva and Obama spoke by phone for about 25 minutes and agreed to meet in March in Washington, said the Brazilian presidency spokesman Marcelo Baumbach. This was the first contact between the leaders of the largest economies in North and South America. Obama may visit Brazil in the Northern Hemisphere's summertime, between July and September, though no date has been set. According to Baumbach, Obama instructed his economic team to coordinate joint positions with Brazil before the G-20 summit of the world's largest and leading emerging economies to be held in London next April. In his national radio address last week, Lula urged Obama to make the Doha round of global trade talks a priority. "President Obama said he is interested in continuing discussions to advance the Doha round, given the importance of global trade to confront the current international economic crisis," Baumbach said. Obama said the United States has much to gain by cooperating with Brazil on bio-fuels, according to Baumbach. The new US president has made the increased use of alternative energy sources, including bio-fuels, a key goal of his administration. Brazil is among the world's biggest users of alternative fuels, with nearly 90% of all new automobiles in the country so-called flex-fuel cars that can run on ethanol made from sugarcane. Baumbach said President Lula da Silva told Obama he is also interested in discussing other "priorities" such as bilateral relations with the US, global peace, relations with Latinamerica and climate change. Lula da Silva is scheduled to address an investors seminar in New York next March and would then fly to Washington to meet with President Obama.