Brasília, July 28, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Economic and Social Development Council's (CDES) Work Group in charge of debating the "Strategic Bases of Development," is holding work sessions today and tomorrow, in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, to begin defining criteria for the conditions of development within the perspective of a new social contract.

According to Minister Tarso Genro, the topics they will discuss were chosen by the members of the Council themselves, at the meeting that inaugurated this work group on May 28, and the debate will continue until June, 2004, when the First National Harmony Congress will be held.

Following the methodology adopted for the debate, the councillors should approve or reject, by consensus or recommendation, each criterion to be included in the preliminary document. Later on, the preliminary texts will be submitted to the full Council, at their next meeting in Brasília, on August 14, and then be submitted to the President, as the criteria are defined.

Among the items to be examined by the councillors, to determine whether or not to elaborate an agreement involving the sectors represented on the CDES, is the way to control inflation, the role of the Central Bank in a new development model, the control of governmental indebtedness, and the question of vulnerability to outside forces. (DAS)