Brazil's Lula expects more tariff relief after talk with Trump

BRASILIA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday said he expects more tariff relief for Brazilian goods following his telephone conversation Tuesday with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump.

In an interview, Lula said his country could soon receive good news regarding trade.

While calling for existing tariffs on Brazilian exports to be repealed, he described as "very positive" Washington's recent decision to remove an additional 40 percent tariff on products such as meat, coffee and fruit.

A few weeks ago, the United States removed additional tariffs on more than 200 Brazilian products following a meeting between Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The U.S. government justified the "tariff hike" as a way to pressure Brazil into taking measures sought by the Trump administration.

The tariff package began to be implemented in August, amid tense bilateral ties that were also strained by sanctions against several Brazilian officials, an issue that remains unresolved.

According to Lula, the conversation marked the third time the two heads of state have spoken since Washington imposed sanctions and tariffs on Brazilian products.

Lula and Trump met briefly in September during the United Nations General Assembly. ■