São Paulo – The president of Lebanon, Michel Sleiman, is going to meet with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in the Brazilian capital Brasília today (22nd), as announced by ANBA in February 2nd. According to information supplied by the Brazilian foreign office (Itamaraty), the visit is part of the Brazilian government’s policy of establishing closer ties with Arab countries, and is particularly important because Brazil is the country with the largest community of Arab origin.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations, one of the matters that should be discussed by the two heads of state is conflict in the Middle East. Brazil is seeking to have a stronger input regarding the issue, and is calling for a greater number of countries to become engaged. Lula travelled to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan in March, and will go to Iran in May. According to him, it will only be possible to negotiate for peace once all of those directly or indirectly involved in the controversies are involved.
According to the Itamaraty, this conversation is especially important right now, because the two countries are actually members of the UN Security Council, and both want a stronger participation of the United Nations as conflict mediator.
Another important subject during the visit will be the community of Lebanese and descendents. Sleiman should meet with colony representatives in the cities of Brasília, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. There are also many Brazilians whose parents are immigrants that are living in Lebanon. These personal relationships have created a very strong connection between the two countries. Lula went to Lebanon in 2003 and the two predecessors of Sleiman also visited Brazil.
The two governments should also sign memorandums of understanding on cooperation in the sports and social policies fields. Also in Brasília, Sleiman should be received by the presidents of the Chamber of Representatives, Michel Temer, of the Senate, José Sarney, and of the Supreme Federal Court, Gilmar Mendes. This should be the last appointment of the sort for Mendes, whose two-year term in office will end on Friday, his successor being minister Cezar Peluso.
The president’s trip will take place roughly one week after the Brazilian minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Miguel Jorge, visited Beirut alongside a delegation of 86 businessmen, as part of a mission that also travelled to Iran and Egypt. Jorge had a meeting with Sleiman last Friday.
Exports from Brazil to Lebanon generated US$ 310.6 million in revenues last year, representing growth of 13.4% compared with 2008. The main items shipped were beef, livestock, coffee, iron and steel bars, and poultry. Revenues from imports, on the other hand, totalled only US$ 1.4 million. The expansion of Brazilian imports of Lebanese products should be discussed during the visit to Brasília.
Michel Sleiman is 61 years old, married, has three children and four grandchildren. A career military man, holds the rank of general and prior to assuming the presidency, in 2008, he was the chief of the Lebanese armed forces.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
