SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) – President Bush on Friday denied charges that America under his leadership has ignored Latin America’s poverty and problems.

“That may be what people say but it’s certainly not what the facts bear out,” Mr. Bush said. “We care about our neighborhood a lot.”

Mr. Bush’s eighth trip to the region was widely viewed locally as a counter to efforts by the president’s nemesis, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, to use his vast oil wealth to court allies. After Brazil, Bush goes to Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico.

But, asked about this, Mr. Bush refused to even use Chavez’ name.

“I don’t think America gets enough credit for trying to help improve people’s lives,” he said. “My trip is to explain as clearly as I can that our nation is generous and compassionate.”

Mr. Bush sought to breathe some life into collapsed talks for a vast global free trade agreement. Brazil helped dash hopes for a hemisphere-wide trade pact by forming a rival trade bloc with Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and, more recently, Venezuela.

Said Mr. Bush: “If we’re despondent on the trade talks, a lot of the world will be despondent on the trade talks.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had hoped to persuade Bush to repeal or scale back the 54-cent per gallon American tariff on sugar-based Brazilian ethanol.

“Brazil hopes the ethanol market will be benefited by free trade, free of protectionisms,” Mr. Silva said at a joint appearance that followed their meetings.

But Mr. Bush was unmoved.

“It’s not going to happen,” he tersely told his questioner from the Brazilian media. “The law doesn’t end until 2009.”