Brazil's Lula: Obama Victory A Demonstration Of Democracy
BRASILIA -(Dow Jones)- The election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the U.S. Tuesday represented a healthy demonstration of democracy in action, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday.
Commenting to reporters on the results of U.S. polling, Lula called the victory an "extraordinary feat."
"It represents above all, a recognition of democracy," he said. "Those who doubted that a black man could be elected president of the U.S. now know that it's possible."
Lula said he hoped that an Obama administration would help strengthen U.S. relations with Latin America, South America, Brazil and Africa. Further, Lula said he hoped an Obama government would make headway in advancing peace talks in the Middle East."Decades of effort have passed there without success," he noted.
Lula said he believed that Brazil and the U.S. would continue to strengthen ties during the new administration and welcomed increased U.S. investment locally.
The Brazilian president also expressed a desire that the U.S. consider dropping a decades-long trade embargo against Cuba. "During the 1960s and 1970s you had the cold war and the U.S. had a position against guerrilla activities in Latin America," he explained. "Now democracy has become consolidated in Latin America and I hope the blockade against Cuba can be lifted because there's no explanation for its continuation."
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