Nelson Motta
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said, yesterday (10), that Brazil's liquidation of its debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) does not terminate the country's relations with the Fund.

"To the contrary, our relationship assumes a different level and quality," he observed at a meeting to commemorate the country's having paid off its US$ 15.57 billion debt in advance, on December 27, 2005.

Lula also emphasized that, although Brazil is "taking note of and even celebrating" having repaid the IMF ahead of time, it should not be forgotten that "moments like this do not mean room for a pause or rest."

As part of the process that made it possible to liquidate the debt, the president underscored changes in the country's infrastructure, such as the creation of a "more favorable" business atmosphere and simplification of the tax structure, making it "more efficient."

At the close of the ceremony, Lula told the director-general of the IMF, Rodrigo de Rato: "You can be sure that Brazil has finally and definitely discovered its path."

Translation: David Silberstein