Venezuelan President Chavez in Brazil to meet Lula

Brasilia - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived in Brasilia Wednesday to meet his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Chavez and Lula were to discuss various energy-related joint projects and seek common ground ahead of the summit of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) that is set to take place next Tuesday in Buenos Aires.

This is the first meeting between the two since the Brazilian Senate in December ratified Venezuela's admission to the Mercosur South American trade bloc, which had long been delayed and had caused tensions between the two countries.

Trade between Brazil and Venezuela amounts to 4.2 billion dollars per year, with a surplus of 3 billion dollars in Brazil's favor.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321084,venezuelan-president-chavez-in-brazil-to-meet-lula.html.