SAO PAULO, (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has invited Brazil to help negotiate peace in the Middle East, a sign that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has strengthened his country’s standing abroad.
In an interview in Brazil’s Estado de S. Paulo newspaper published yesterday, Assad said he would discuss the possibility of Brazil helping bring Israel to the table with other Arab countries to diffuse tensions stemming from its policy on Gaza.
Lula along with Turkey unsuccessfully sought to broker a solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis,
“In my view, the combined effort of Brazil and Turkey in the Iranian nuclear question has raised Brazil’s role to a new level,” Assad said. “For this, we hope Brazil can act to stabilize the Middle East.”
In a rare visit to Latin America that started on Friday, Assad is traveling to Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Cuba in a bid to extend his diplomatic reach as Syria emerges from isolation from the West and seeks needed investments in its tattered infrastructure.
