Lula DaSilva

President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, arrives in the island next week Wednesday for a two-day working visit.

According to a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the president's visit is in response to an invitation that was initially issued to him by former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson when he visited Brazil in 2005.

Lula and Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller will hold private talks on Thursday morning before joining their respective delegations to advance discussions and strengthen cooperation on a range of bilateral regional and international issues.

These will include continued focus on energy, agriculture with specific reference to technical assistance to the sugar industry, cooperation on science and technology, education, sports and culture, and social development.

Regional issues that will be discussed include the proposed CARICOM-MERCOSUR-Free Trade Area arrangements and developments in Haiti, while international concerns will include matters pertaining to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Doha round, UN Reform, World Summit follow-up and multilateral cooperation in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, assistance to the sugar industry and energy sector is an area for discussion. Jamaica and Brazil signed agreements in February aimed at assisting the modernisation of the sugar industry, the development of ethanol and technical cooperation in tropical fruit processing.