Lula, first leader to travel to Chile after quake

[rabs]

Lula and Michelle at the airport in Santiago on Monday evening. Brazil is sending a field hospital and rescue teams immediately, other aid will follow. Hillary is arriving tomorrow in Santiago with a few cell phones.

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Brasilia - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was expected in Santiago Monday evening to meet his Chilean counterpart Michelle Bachelet. Earlier Monday, Lula had promised to do "everything possible" to help earthquake-shattered Chile.

Lula, who was in Montevideo Monday for the inauguration of Uruguayan President Jose Mujica, was to leave for Santiago shortly afterwards.

The meeting with Bachelet was to take place at Santiago airport, and Lula planned to return to Brasilia later Monday, his spokesperson said.

"We will do everything possible to show solidarity with Chile, just like we have shown solidarity with Haiti," Lula said in his weekly radio address Monday.

He added, however, that Chile "has an advantage" over Haiti, which was devastated by an earthquake on January 12.

"(Chile) is a more structured country, it is a country which has historically lived with quakes and therefore has better-prepared civilian defence systems. It is a richer country, construction is more solid," Lula noted.

Brazil agreed Monday to send to Chile a field hospital along with rescue teams.

More than 230,000 people are believed to have died in Haiti. Chilean authorities have confirmed 708 deaths.

Lula's plans to return to Santiago on March 11, for the inauguration of Bachelet's successor Sebastian Pinera.

Copyright DPA

[protocol rv]

1. Good Lula, promotes business for Brazil

Looks like Lula is sniffing around for reconstruction money for Brazilian firms.

[Peace Patriot]

3. And we aren't going to forget your racist remark in another thread that an "Indian"'s word

should be questioned because he is an "Indian."

Your rightwing views, your defense of Chevron-Texaco's gigantic oil spill in Ecuador, your racist remark--and your failure to retract it, and apparent failure to even understand what you said--discredit your remarks about Lulu. Why should anyone believe your slime?

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Comment 36, here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x30994

[Judi Lynn]

2. He's right in that the devastation in Haiti was vast, nightmarish.

It's great seeing Lula so quickly. He has been a great presence in South America. He'll most certainly be missed.