Havana, September 29, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - "Things are starting to go the way we want in Brazil. In the nine months I have been in office, I have learned that the process of transformation is difficult, but, despite this, I get up more optimistic every day: There is no negative newspaper headline that makes me lose my optimism. I believe in what I am doing, I believe in my team and in the capacity of the Brazilian people." This ode to optimism was recited by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at an emotional encounter on Saturday (27) with around 600 Brazilians who are studying in Cuba. Some of them cried, others requested autographs.

On Saturday, still in Havana, Lula stated that on October 28 he will announce the unification of social policies. "We shall take the policies that are currently separated and consolidate them into a unified policy so that we can take care of more people in the shortest possible time period," the President said.

He explained the new foreign policy he is putting into practice, focussing on the alliance between Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. The idea is to unite the forces of countries at the same level of development, to fare better in negotiations with the United States and the European Union.

"We want to win the game, and this game is tough," Lula said. "Nobody is going to have pity on us. We want to have a foreign policy like the United States, to fight for our interests, as they do for theirs," the President summed up. In line with this policy, Lula will visit five African countries in November and seven Middle Eastern countries in December. (DAS)