Brasilia - Israeli President Shimon Peres is to arrive in Brazil Tuesday for an official visit that comes just two weeks before the expected arrival of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. According to the Israeli President's Office, "the Iranian infiltration of the continent" will be a central issue of Peres' trip to Latin America, which is also scheduled to take him to Argentina.
"During the visit the president will aim to strengthen and deepen Israel's strategic, diplomatic, and economic ties with these two critically important Latin American countries," the statement said.
During his four-day visit to Brazil, Peres is set to meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Wednesday.
In an interview published in Brazilian media, Peres conceded that problems with the controversial Ahmadinejad - who denied the Holocaust several times and has called for Israel to be wiped "off the map" - may come up in his meeting with Lula.
Peres said that he would not personally raise the issue, since he does not think it would be good form to mention a third country. However, he stressed that he thinks Iran is a problem for the whole world and that he would accept Lula's mediation efforts if they were offered.
Ahmadinejad is set to arrive in Brazil on November 23 on an official visit.
Brazil has argued that "isolating" and "cornering" Iran is not an appropriate strategy to convince leaders in Tehran of adhering to international directives.
Lula's advisers, however, stress that Brazil is a "reliable mediator" to boost talks on Iran's nuclear programme and on the situation in the Middle East.
"Brazil has a policy of dialogue, and you do not engage in dialogue just with the countries or the people with whom you agree on everything," Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said about the invitation issued to Ahmadinejad.
The invitation spurred criticism from religious groups, particularly within the Jewish community.
Peres will lead a delegation that includes Israeli Tourism Minister Stats Misezhnikov, 40 Israeli business leaders and senior members of the Israeli defence industry.
On Tuesday, Peres is to meet with Brazilian Defence Minister Nelson Jobim, to discuss the chances for defence cooperation between Brazil and Israel. In the evening, he is to address the Brazilian Congress in Brasilia.
On Wednesday, the discussion between Peres and Lula is also likely to touch on cooperation in the fields of tourism and extradition proceedings.
Peres is scheduled to travel Thursday to Sao Paulo - Brazil's main financial centre - and Friday to Rio de Janeiro, to find out more about preparations for the 2014 football World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
Peres is to travel Sunday to Argentina, where he is scheduled to meet with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Monday.
