SAO PAULO - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told his Emirati counterpart on Monday that Brazil will work to seal a deal between South American trade bloc Mercosur and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the coming months.

Brazil's presidency said in a statement that Lula and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke for about half an hour by phone on Monday, adding Lula expressed enthusiasm in the Mercosur region for an economic partnership with the UAE.