Occupied Jerusalem: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva began a Middle East trip in occupied Jerusalem by saying he wants to promote regional peace, after expressing concerns last week that Israel may attack Iran over its nuclear programme.
"We came here to talk about peace, but we also came here to strengthen our ties with Israel," Lula said at a welcoming ceremony in the occupied Jerusalem residence of Israeli President Shimon Peres.
"We are interested in pushing forward the peace process because, as Brazilians, we are lovers of peace."
Lula told Israel's Haaretz newspaper that a diplomatic solution was needed to end the dispute over Iranian nuclear development or that Israel would use military force against Iran.
Sanctions
The United States is pushing for a fourth set of United Nations sanctions against Iran over the atomic work. Iran denies allegations by the United States and some allies that it may be trying to build a nuclear weapon.
"The leaders I spoke to believe that we must act quickly, otherwise Israel will attack Iran," Lula said.
"We can't allow what happened in Iraq to happen to Iran. Before any sanctions, we must undertake all possible efforts to try and build peace in the Middle East."
Lula is the first Brazilian president to make an official visit to Israel. He will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian Authority's president, Mahmoud Abbas, and prime minister, Salam Fayyad, and then travel to Jordan.
He is also scheduled to speak in Israel's parliament and meet with local business leaders. Trade between Israel and Brazil peaked in 2008 at $1.6 billion (Dh5.8 billion), increasing from $440 million in 2002, according to Brazil's Foreign Ministry.
Trade between the two countries fell to $920 million in 2009 as the global credit crisis damped growth in emerging markets.
Israel Chemicals Ltd, which extracts minerals from the Dead Sea to make fertilizer, and Makhteshim-Agan Industries Ltd, the world's largest maker of generic agrochemicals, are among the biggest Israeli exporters to Brazil.
