Raul Castro Receives
Brazilian President
Cuban first Vice
President Raul Castro on
Tuesday welcomed
Brazilian President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva,
who is on a brief Cuba
visit.
The official welcome
ceremony at the Palace
of the Revolution was
also attended by Vice
President Carlos Lage,
Basic Industry Minister
Yadira Garcia, and
Foreign Minister Felipe
Perez Roque.
The Brazilian side was
represented by the
Ministers of Foreign
Affairs, Celso Amorim,
Development, Trade, and
Industries, Miguel
Jorge, Education,
Fernando Haddad, and
Health, Jose Gomes
Temporal, as well as
Petrobras president Jose
Sergio Gabrielli de
Azevedo.
Lula da Silva had
previously placed a
wreath at the monument
of Cuban National Hero
Jose Marti (1853-1895),
accompanied by Perez
Roque.
The Brazilian leader
arrived in Havana on
Monday from Guatemala,
where he attended the
inauguration of
President elect Alvaro
Colom.
Lula"s agenda includes a
tour of the Genetic
Engineering and
Biotechnology Center on
the outskirts of Havana
and a meeting with the
nearly 500 Brazilians
students studying at the
Latin American School of
Medicine (ELAM).
This is Lula"s second
official Cuba visit as
president since
September 2003. He had
made several other
visits but as leader of
the Workers" Party.
Brazil is Cuba"s second
commercial partner in
the region, and eighth
in total exchange, local
diplomatic sources
revealed.
|
|
