Brasilia, 1 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - President Fernando Henrique Cardoso made an assessment of his 7 years in power and of the changes undertaken by Brazil, when speaking Thursday at the closing assembly of the 12th Brazilian Congress of the Confederation of Commercial Associations of Brazil.

The president said that in his recent trip to Poland, Sweden and the Slovakian Republic, he could observe how Brazil's image abroad has changed. According to him, in the beginning of the 1990s, the county was unstable, without direction and presented mediocre economic indicators. "Few people believed in us," he said. He added that, in the last decade, Brazil began to be viewed in another light by the world, with its active participation in the Group of 20 (G-20), in peace processes and in specific issues, such as the breaking of patents for medicines, when in the best interest of public health. (MW)