Rice to arrive in Brazil for first Latin American tour
US Secretary of State Condolezza Rice will arrive in Brazil on Tuesday to kick off her first Latin American tour, which will also take her to Colombia, Chile and El Salvador.

During her two-day visit in Brazil, Rice is scheduled to hold a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, local press reported Monday.

Rice and Lula will discuss the issue of democracy in Latin America, the negotiations for the creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the situation in Venezuela, the recent crisis in Ecuador and Brazil's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Rice will also meet Foreign Minister Celso Amorim.