Brazilian president Lula da Silva is expected in Montevideo, Uruguay Tuesday afternoon to hold talks with his counterpart Jose Mujica, following the Unasur extraordinary presidential summit in Buenos Aires.
President Lula da Silva reassured Paraguay that Brazil will build the promised 500 kW power transmission line from the Itaipú dam to the capital Asunción, as well as a bridge over the Paraná River shared by both countries.
The extraordinary summit of presidents of countries members of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) is to debate next Tuesday in Buenos Aires an agenda dominated by the intention of former Argentine president Néstor Kirchner to run for the post of Secretary General of the regional bloc.
Honduras President Porfirio Lobo confirmed he would be participating of the European Union-Latin America-Caribbean summit scheduled to take place in Madrid next May 18. Lobo said he was officially invited in March and that a couple of weeks ago Spanish Foreign Secretary Miguel Angel Moratinos rang on the phone to tell him “we will be waiting for you”.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva has been named the most influential leader in the world by Time Magazine, ahead of US President Barack Obama who is ranked fourth. No European leader figures among the top 25.
President Hugo Chávez expects Venezuela will be fully incorporated to Mercosur before Brazilian president Lula da Silva steps down from office next January first. The two leaders met Wednesday in Brasilia and also agreed to strengthen Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
Brazilian president Lula da Silva discarded any sort of retirement once he steps down from the Executive next December 31 and underlined he will continue to act in politics.
Paraguay’s president Fernando Lugo said he is looking forward to the coming meeting next May 3 with his Brazilian counterpart Lula da Silva because he would be coming back with “good news” referred to the shared power from Itaipu, the world’s second largest hydroelectric dam belonging to both countries.
Venezuela is an extremely important factor for the social and economic development of the region and Brazil will insist upon Paraguay on the need for the approval of Venezuela’s incorporation as full member of Mercosur, stressed Senator Romero Juca from the Brazilian ruling coalition.
Brazil plans to increase the number of its voluntary army from 300.000 to 500.000 in the next two decades as the defence budget keeps growing steadily said ministry sources. The country’s defence budget soared 44.5% in real terms in the last five years.