Carolina Pimentel
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília – In his weekly radio broadcast, president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke of the Progressive Governance Summit that he attended in South Africa on the last stop of his five-day trip to Africa last week. Lula used the summit to once again call for reduced farm subsidies in rich nations, which would permit poorer nations to export their agricultural produce.

Heads of state from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, Ethiopia, Sweden and South Korea, along with the head of the World Trade Organization, Pascoal Lamy, and the EU trade negotiatior, Peter Mendelson, participated in the summit.

Lula also suggested that biodiesel could stimulate growth in poor nations. He said rich nations could finance its production and then buy the product, creating a mutually beneficial rich-poor nation relationship.

Lula added that it is becoming more obvious to all that poor nations can contribute to world trade, as well as science and technology. He said Brazil was willing to assist the less favored.

The radio program this week was recorded on the presidential aircraft as it returned to Brazil last night. During his stay in Africa, Lula visited Algeria, Benin, Botswana and South Africa.

Translation: Allen Bennett