Nelson Motta
Reporter Agencia Brasil

Brasília – At a last stopover yesterday in northeastern Brazil, during visits to work on the duplication of the coastal BR-101 highway, president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared that the development of the country's poor Northeast region is not a dream, but an obligation. This is a subject that Lula speaks of with some authority: like many, many others, his family fled the opportunityless, arid, often drought-stricken Northeast. As a result, the young Lula grew up in the country's industrial center of São Paulo and became a union leader. The rest is history...

Speaking of the BR-101 highway, which runs from north to south along the country's coastline of almost 7,500 kilometers, Lula declared that it is "extremely necessary" to ensure that the highway in the northeastern region is a good one. "The riches of this region must flow smoothly to market. And the many foreign visitors, the Germans, the Japanese, and so forth, will be able to travel about easily when they come to the beautiful beaches here. It is very important to have good highways that are safe and well-cared for." Lula made his comments in the small town of Goiana, state of Pernambuco.

Lula also said that for many years he always wanted to travel the whole length of Brazil. "When I was 25, I started dreaming about making a trip along the coast of Brazil, from the south, Rio Grande do Sul, all the way to the northern border. But I was never able to make that trip. Maybe some day when I am no longer president it will be possible. I will finally make the trip of my dreams, on good, paved roads," he said.

Translation: Allen Bennett