Brasília - Commenting on the World Social Forum, which is scheduled to return to Porto Alegre at the beginning of next year, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared that the event must focus on a few central issues or face the possibility of becoming "an ideological fairgrounds."

"In my opinion, the forum should concentrate on one or two targets for the year. Otherwise it could become a fairgrounds for ideologies where each person comes, buys what he wants, sells what he wants and everybody then goes home without any commitment to the future. The forum should be a place where people decide on what needs to be done and how to get the government, political parties and congressmen on board," said Lula.

Agência Brasil
Reporter:Nelson Motta
Translator: Allen Bennett
10/27/2004