RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack  Obama has called for a meeting with South American leaders at  the Summit of the Americas this weekend, Brazilian President  Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said yesterday.

Obama asked Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to convene  a meeting of the South American union, Unasur, for early on  Saturday because he wouldn’t have time to meet each of the  region’s leaders individually, Lula said.

“As there is only one day of meetings, it was smart of Obama  (to convene Unasur),” Lula said. “It’s important for him to  meet the people who will be his partners over the next four  years.”

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because  the schedule had not been made public, confirmed the meeting  but gave no other details.

Bachelet currently presides over Unasur, a group founded  last year to help integrate South America along the lines of  the European Union.

So far, Lula, Bachelet and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe  have agreed to the Unasur meeting with Obama, said Marco  Aurelio Garcia, Lula’s top foreign policy adviser. Other South  American presidents are also expected to attend, he said.

The Summit of the Americas is being held April 17-19 in  Trinidad and Tobago.