Brasília, 7/15/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr/BBC Brasil) - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says he is in favor of "safeguards for the weak," within the framework of the Free Trade Area of the Americas. He also criticized the US. "If there are no safeguards for the weak, there will be a hegemony of the strong, which is something we do not want. We want to negotiate as equals," declared the president. The president's statements were in response to questions by users of BBC websites (including BBC Brasil). Some 5,000 questions were sent in.

According to Lula, Latin America should join forces to negotiate jointly with Americans and Europeans. "We want a united South America because we have common interests abroad and common regional interests," declared the president.

"The United States wants to move discussions of sensitive issues outside the FTAA framework, while they continue to protect their agricultural sector within that framework. And they also want poor nations to negotiate government procurements," explained Lula.

The president of Brazil also said that Latin American countries, "are not obligated to follow the political agenda of the US."

A Leftist Government

One question, asked by Robert of Atlanta, was what he would say to Americans who feared a leftist government in Brazil.

"Americans have nothing to fear from any government in Brazil - from the left, the right, or the center. What Americans have to fear is their own government, the one they elect, whether it is Democrat or Republican. The government of Brazil is a problem for Brazilians," said Lula, adding that "any government in Brazil knows that the US is an important factor in Brazilian political and trade relations." (AB)