Brasília, 12/15/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared that the G-20 could create its own free trade area and open it to other countries in development. Speaking to ministerial level representatives of the G-20 who were in Brasilia for a meeting, Lula said that a number of countries are already moving, individually or in groups, toward such a free trade area.

Lula said the idea should get more attention at the UN Conference on Commerce and Development scheduled for São Paulo next June. (AB)