Weekly Report - 19 March 2008 (ISSN 1741-7422)

PARAGUAY | Lugo to meet Lula. The frontrunner in the presidential race, Fernando Lugo, announced that he will meet Brazil's President Lula da Silva in Brasí­lia on 3 April, just over two weeks before the elections. Lugo, who met Argentina's President Cristina Fernández last week, was interviewed by Brazil's daily O Globo on 16 March. The Brazilian press is showing unprecedented interest in the Paraguayan presidential candidate. This is mainly because of Lugo's anti-Brazilian sentiment, which explains why Lula, who must have been hoping he would slip in the polls, has left it so late to meet him. During a tour of the department of Canindeyú at the weekend, Lugo again repeated that he would negotiate "as an equal" with Brazil and Argentina on energy matters. The Lula administration is also perturbed by Lugo's clear affinity with Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez , which could strengthen Venezuela's position in Mercosur. Lugo sought to downplay this in the interview with O Globo, saying that while he greatly respected the Venezuelan leader, "I will not be like Chávez ".

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