Brasilia, November 20, 2002 (Agencia Brasil ABr) - The coordinator of the goverment-elect's transition team, Antonio Palocci, in his meeting with the International Monetary Fund mission, made it clear to them that president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government is concerned with being able to set up mechanisms to ensure that monetary, fiscal and exchange rate policy goals can be achieved. Palocci said the country must have autonomy so it can improve government accounts.

"Any government must have a certain amount of liberty of action in political and social areas. Agreements with international institutions, such as the IMF, cannot remove that autonomy," he said. (AB)