By Xinhua,
Rio De Janeiro : The Brazilian government has proposed that world leaders resume the WTO’s Doha Development Round talks as a way to fight the international financial crisis, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said.
In a meeting with businessmen in Sao Paulo, Lula Friday said he had proposed the resumption of the Doha talks to US President George W. Bush over the phone Wednesday. He would make the same suggestion to the Indian government when he visits the country next week, Lula said.
“I told Bush that it is the best solution. I will also try to convince Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the same. The US, as well as Brazil, need to learn to take advantage of its greatness,” Lula said.
The WTO’s Doha Development Round negotiations were suspended due to the failure of the last meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in late July. There were disputes between developed countries and developing ones over some agricultural and industrial issues.
During the meeting in Sao Paulo, Lula reaffirmed that Brazil is strong enough to resist the impact of the financial crisis, and that none of the government’s social programs will suffer cuts.
“I know Brazil and I know the difference from this crisis to the others,” he said, adding, “I am not being optimistic, but realistic. Brazil has a strong economy and this crisis is a drop of water in the ocean.”