Street Protests Greet Bush in Brazil

A woman walks by a posters of U.S. President George W. Bush that reads "wanted for war crimes" in Medellin, Wednesday, March 7, 2007. Bush will visit Colombia March 11. (AP Photo/Luis Benavides) (Luis Benavides - AP)

In addition to Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia, Bush is also visiting Guatemala and Mexico.

Bush did not plan visits to any countries that have moved into Chavez's sphere of influence, including Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua.

Bush and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva are expected to announce an "ethanol alliance" on Saturday aimed at creating quality standards for the alternative fuel while joining forces to promote more ethanol use in nations lying between Brazil and the United States.

Silva, in turn, has said he will press the U.S. Congress to repeal or scale back the 54-cent per gallon U.S. tariff on sugar-based Brazilian ethanol. Bush and Silva also were expected to talk about efforts to salvage the World Trade Organization talks _ the so-called Doha round _ that collapsed in discord last summer over farm subsidies and other disputes.

But he probably can't look to Bush for much help on the tariff issue. White House spokesman Johndroe said tariff matters are "up to Congress" and that Bush wasn't expected to weigh in on the dispute.

Among those participating in Thursday's protests were environmentalists and social groups who oppose the biofuels project, fearing that Brazil may clear pristine jungle to ramp up sugarcane cultivation. Greenpeace activists hung a huge banner warning against increased reliance on ethanol as an alternative fuel on a monument to 17th-century Portuguese explorers and conquerors.

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Associated Press writer Stan Lehman contributed to this report.