Lula calls on France's Macron to attend summit of Amazon countries

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a news conference, in Montevideo, Uruguay, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Mariana Greif

(Reuters) - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday urged his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to have France attend the summit of the Amazon countries that he aims to host in coming months.

Lula, who was elected for a third term last October vowing to tackle deforestation in the rainforest, discussed in a phone call with Macron efforts to combat the threat posed by climate change, according to a statement from his office.