Dilma will be received in the US with the honors of a head of state.

Renata Giraldi
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia – In two months, President Dilma Rousseff will be received in the United States with the honors of a head of state. The visit is scheduled for October 23. The last Brazilian to receive the same honor was then-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, in 1995. The honor is granted by the Americans to rare authorities, as it involves a series of ceremonial aspects.

According to Brazilian diplomats, the organization of the visit is well underway – the last meeting took place in July. Dilma is expected to be received at the White House with a red carpet and honored with a gala dinner. She will also have moments to reciprocate the honors she will receive, such as laying flowers at the obelisk – a monument in memory of war heroes.

The preparations for the visit are meticulously planned, including the president's preferences for the menu and musical tastes. In May, when the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Patriota, went to Washington (United States) and met with the Secretary of State, John Kerry, the date of Dilma's visit was set.

At the event, Kerry highlighted Brazil's importance in the reconstruction of Haiti, which in 2010 suffered the impacts of the worst earthquake in its recent history, and in the search for a negotiated solution in Syria, which has been in conflict for two years with more than 90 deaths.

“I know Brazil, which is a country I really like. It’s fascinating, with a very diverse culture and enormous economic energy, as well as a zest for life,” said Kerry, who also admitted to being a fan of Brazilian football. “And the World Cup fascinates us all. I’ll find a way to be there during that period [of the 2014 World Cup],” he joked.

Before Dilma's visit to the United States, she is scheduled to participate in the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. However, the visit is not in the nature of a state visit.

Edition: Adjutant Grace