Brasília, 9/29/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - It is no secret that minister of Environment, Marina Silva, was disappointed when the government decided to liberate genetically modified (GM) soybeans in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Following the announcement of the decision, she came out of her office, dressed in black, and participated in a demonstration by protesters opposed to the measure. In tears, she held hands with her second-in-command at the ministry, the executive secretary, Claudio Langone, and the Landless Rural Worker Movement (MST) leader, João Paulo Rodrigues, as they all sang the national anthem.

Ms Silva declared that her ministry did what it could, by prohibiting the planting of GM crops in environmental protection areas, for example. She declared that she would continue to fight against GM crops because she remains cautious regarding their long-term affects on people and believes more research on the issue needs to be undertaken.

The minister said she has absolutely no plans to resign from the ministry, pointing out that she took the job to establish the county's environmental policies and still intends to do so. (AB)