DO NEW YORK TIMES<br />
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Brazil said on Tuesday that it would expel a New York Times correspondent who wrote on Sunday of publicly expressed concerns about the drinking habits of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. <br />
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Mr. Lula said the correspondent, Larry Rohter, chief of The Times´s bureau in Rio de Janeiro, deserved to lose his visa, Reuters reported. The presidential palace has denied that Mr. Lula has a drinking problem. <br />
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The Justice Ministry announced that it would cancel Mr. Rohter´s visa and said the article was ´´offensive to the honor of the president.´´ <br />
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Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, said that if Brazil ´´intends to expel a journalist for writing an article that offended the president, that would raise serious questions about Brazil´s professed commitment to freedom of expression and a free press.´´ <br />
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Published: 05 - 12 - 2004, Late Edition - Final , Section A , Column 4 , Page 8 <br />
