Israeli President Shimon Peres urged Brazil to use its growing clout to challenge Iran's threats against his country during a visit here just two weeks before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, AFP reported.

"There needs to be a voice against destruction and against terror, a clear voice. I know that Brazil rejects threats, destruction, rejects terror, and the clear voice of Brazil has a strong echo in the entire world," Peres said in a speech before Brazilian lawmakers.

While Israel did not see the Iranian people as an enemy, "we cannot ignore that this government (of Ahmadinejad) is building nuclear weapons and at the same time calls for the destruction of the state of Israel," he added.

The speech underlined Israel's fear and suspicions -- shared by the United States and Europe -- that Iran was trying to build atomic arms under cover of its civilian nuclear development program.

Brazil, though, has thus far backed Tehran, saying the Islamic state had the right to peaceful nuclear power. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said he opposes international sanctions on Iran.

In a sign of the cordial relations Brazil extends to Iran -- and of the South American country's aspiration to become a big player on the world stage -- Ahmadinejad is to visit here on November 23.

Peres started his four-day visit to Brazil, the first by an Israeli head of state to the country in 43 years, on Tuesday by meeting Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim.

He is scheduled to meet Lula on Wednesday. On Thursday, he was to stop by Sao Paulo to boost bilateral business ties, then visit Rio de Janeiro on Friday, from where he would travel to Argentina.

Peres's goal throughout the tour was to discuss "the Iranian infiltration into South America," a spokeswoman told AFP.

By coincidence or not, Iran's embassy held a news conference on the first day of Peres's visit to talk up the diplomatic and trade mission Ahmadinejad was bringing.

"There are several areas where we want to develop investment. One of the projects calls for the purchase of land in Brazil so that companies can produce soya and maize to supply the Iranian market and probably other countries," ambassador Mohsen Shaterzadeh said.

Cooperation in the areas of technology, oil production and space exploration was also to be discussed, he said.

Ahmadinejad was also to set up a reciprocal visit to Tehran in the first half of 2010 by Lula, Shaterzadeh said.

He added that Peres' visit "does not affect us in any way -- it is the exclusive right of Brazil to organize its international relations."