UPI hears ...

     Brazil's new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is taking as a personal snub Washington's decision to send U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick to Brasilia for his inauguration on Jan. 1. The Bush administration had sent "the subsecretary of a subsecretary of a subsecretary," Lula sniffed. In contrast, among the delegates from 191 nations present at the ceremony were Presidents Fidel Castro of Cuba, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and South Africa's Thabo Mbeki. Spain sent the Prince of Asturias, heir to the throne.      -0-      Speaking of Lula, as he's commonly called, the CIA unit tasked to develop biographical profiles on all new international leaders to help Washington decision-makers formulate policy is going to have fun with the new Brazilian president. Among the interesting findings they have to evaluate is a July 1979 interview in the Brazilian edition of Playboy. Titled "Entrevista bomba: Lula o metalúrgico" ("Explosive interview: Lula the metallurgist"), the magazine detailed Lula's political views while running the Metalworkers Union. Lula expressed admiration for Hitler and Khomeini. "There are some figures that I admire very much, taking for granted Tiradentes (an early Brazilian fighter independence) and others that did a lot for the independence of Brazil and to better the conditions of the people....As for example, Hitler, who, even though he was wrong, he had that which I admire in a man, the fire of setting himself to achieve something and to go after it...I don't know much about Iran, but the strength that Khomeini showed, the determination to bring down the regime of the Shah, that was serious business." Lula tempered his comments by noting that he solely admired their political strength and dedication, but not their ideology.