Brasília, July 2, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The general strike in Nigeria, the result of a political crisis, led the Brazilian government to abandon a reduction in fuel prices, for the time being.

The Minister of Mines and Energy, Dilma Roussef, made a promise yesterday that domestic prices could drop, but she backed down after a meeting last night with the Minister of Finance, Antônio Palocci, and the president of Petrobras, José Eduardo Dutra, to assess the situation. "It was decided that there will be no reduction for as long as the price of oil rises due to the Nigerian crisis," the Minister's advisory office regrets.

The strike has been going on for three days, and it was launched by local labor unions because of a 50% increase in gasoline prices. In just the first five months of this year, approximately 2.1 million tons of oil have been imported from Nigeria. Of Brazil's total petroleum imports, one quarter come from Nigeria. (DAS)