Paris (France), January 28, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made clear today, during a working luncheon with French President Jacques Chirac, his position opposed to the hypothesis of an armed conflict in Iraq. According to the President, although Brazil is solidary with the suffering of the North-American people, after the attacks of September 11, the only way to preserve democracy and international institutions is to avoid war. "Nothing should be done without the approval of the UN Security Council, even if the inspectors have doubts about what they found. We need to exercise caution and tranquility," Lula emphasized.

In the opinion of the Brazilian President, "an individual citizen can practice any crazy act, but a State can't," he affirmed, referring to the position of the United States in relation to Iraq. Lula also recalled that, in his electoral campaign, he preached "peace and love," and he's not going to start calling for war now. The President of France, Jacques Chirac, said that his country's position and that of Brazil "are not just similar, but identical." (DAS)