Patil to address Brazil Senate, oversee signing of four pacts

Sao Paulo, Apr.15 : President Pratibha Patil will address Brasil's Senate and oversee the signing of four bilateral agreements, including an extradition treaty, before leaving for Mexico on the second leg of her three-nation tour.

On the second day of her visit to Brasil, Patil had an early morning meeting with a business delegation at the Federation of Industry of the State of Sao Paulo (FIESP) during which she discussed ways and means to boost the bilateral trade.

During the meeting in Sao Paulo, in which a 14member Indian business delegation accompanied her, Patil said: "Both sides have the acumen, desire, will and the skill to take (the trade relation between the two countries) forward."

It was the suggestion of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that the President should meet the FIESP delegation during her trip to Brazil, said Indian Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri.

During her meeting with the Brazilian trade delegation, the two sides, while noting that bilateral trade touched 3.12 billion dollars, agreed that the figure was nothing going by the opportunities the two countries have.

"We want Brazilian companies to take advantage of the opportunities in infrastructure development, which has a scope of 500 billion dollars," Puri said appreciating Patil's move in engaging both sides in discussions.

Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry Nalin Surie said the country has a lot to learn from Brazil in agriculture - especially in harvesting, storage and hybrid varieties.

"The discussions were a good beginning. The President has herself taken the initiative for underpinning the economic cooperation," he said. By Ravinder Singh Robin

ANI