'Reason With Him'
Brazil's charismatic Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Brazil, trade, and how big countries should act.
By Mac Margolis | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Sep 22, 2009 | Updated: 6:49 a.m. ET Sep 22, 2009
'The Most Popular Politician on Earth'
For nearly seven years, he's done a spectacular job as Brazil's president. But can Lula resist the temptation to throw it away?
By Mac Margolis | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Sep 22, 2009
"Lula Defends Ahmadinejad’s Nuclear Goal, Plans Visit to Iran"
By Joshua Goodman
Sept. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he will visit President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran next year and defended his relationship with Iran, saying he can’t judge its nuclear ambitions or elections.
Lula, speaking to reporters outside the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, said Ahmadinejad assured him during a meeting that Iran was developing its nuclear industry for peaceful, civilian uses.
“I defend for Iran the same rights with respect to nuclear energy that I do for Brazil,” he said, adding that Brazil had clout to engage Iran in talks on its nuclear program because it’s the only country in the world whose constitution bans it from seeking nuclear weapons. “If anyone is ashamed of having relations with Iran, it’s not my case.”