Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promised Monday to do "everything possible" to help earthquake- shattered Chile, according to dpa. In his weekly radio address, Lula said he would get in touch with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to ask about the country's needs and define an aid strategy. "We will do everything possible to show solidarity with Chile, just like we have shown solidarity with Haiti," Lula said. He added, however, that Chile "has an advantage" over Haiti, which was devastated by an earthquake on January 12. "(Chile) is a more structured country, it is a country which has historically lived with quakes and therefore has better-prepared civilian defence systems. It is a richer country, construction is more solid," Lula noted. Brazilian presidency officials said Monday that Lula's plans to travel to Santiago on March 11, for the inauguration of Bachelet's successor Sebastian Pinera, still stand. That trip will only be cancelled if Chilean authorities request so, Lula's advisors told official Brazilian news agency ABR.
