Brasília, July 15, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - At his final official appearance in London, in a speech to the university community at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced that the tax and Social Security reforms may be approved by October. According to Lula, the governors' participation was fundamental to the preparation of the two proposals. "The next reforms that will be sent to Congress involve labor union and political organization, as well as a review of Brazil's labor laws, which are a bit outdated," he said.

Prsident Lula told the students that, in the last elections, "the Brazilian people demonstrated courage and maturity and chose to change the country's direction." But he observed that the problems have to be solved over the short, medium, and long run. "The situation in which Brazil stood was a difficult one, aggravated by political and financial speculation. To turn this situation around, it was necessary to adopt rigorous fiscal and monetary policies, to stimulate exports. At the end of six months, we are beginning to see positive results," he affirmed.

The director of the LSE, Anthony Giddens, who is also one of Prime Minister Tony Blair's chief advisers, announced that, due to his retirement, this would be his final appearance at the school. He spoke about President Lula's background and affirmed that he was ending his career on a high note. "I have been at this school for 30 years, and I shall retire in 30 days. My final guest is President Lula, a man who came to change the world," Giddens declared. (DAS)