Brasília, March 31, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - Brazil has already obtained the support of ten Latin American countries to effect changes in the conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) when it loans money. Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela agree with Brazil in calling for the IMF not to count as expenses investments made in infrastructure -- basic sanitation, regional integration, settlements, and energy distribution.

The proposal was articulated by the Minister of Planning, Guido Mantega, during the 45th Annual Meeting of the Assembly of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in Lima, Peru. The meeting ends today. The document, entitled the Letter from Lima, will be presented at the next annual meeting between the IMF and the World Bank, scheduled for April 15.

At the meeting in Lima, the president of the IDB, Enrique Iglesias, affirmed that growth in Latin America will be 4% this year, more than the 1.5% registered in 2003.

Translator: David Silberstein