Politics Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will hold on Tuesday a meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez in the Amazonian city of Manaus to address an agenda focused on the financial crisis, energy and food.

The two presidents hold quarterly meetings to discuss bilateral and regional issues, and the meeting on Tuesday will focus on ways to strengthen regional integration as a means to reduce vulnerability in crisis scenarios, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry reported.

Presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia and Rafael Correa of Ecuador had been invited to participate in the meeting with Lula and Chávez. However, the presidential office in Brasilia reported that the visit of both leaders to Manaus had been "planned (but) not confirmed."