Brazil's Lula to push for Mercosur-Indonesia trade deal

BRASILIA, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday he will use Brazil's rotating presidency of the Southern Common Market, or Mercosur, to resume negotiations for a free trade agreement with Indonesia.

Lula made the remarks during talks with visiting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

"Mercosur's Brazilian presidency will, with its partners, resume negotiations to conclude an agreement with Indonesia," Lula said.

Lula thanked Prabowo for supporting closer ties between Brazil and ASEAN, and confirmed he will attend the bloc's summit in Malaysia in October and pay a state visit to Indonesia.

"ASEAN is a bloc of 680 million people and has experienced accelerated economic growth and rapid technological evolution," he said.

Lula also reiterated opposition to the war in Gaza, though he did not explicitly name Israel.

"Our countries have also tirelessly denounced the atrocities committed against the Palestinian population in Gaza," he said. ■