Brazil’s status as an emerging world power receives a serious diplomatic test on Monday when Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president, hosts Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, Iran’s leader, in the capital Brasília.
Critics said the visit would lend legitimacy to the Iranian government following the disputed re-election of Mr Ahmadi-Nejad. It comes as Tehran faces intense international pressure led by the US over its nuclear ambitions and alleged support for terrorism, along with the Iranian leader’s trenchant denunciations of Israel.
