PRESIDENTE LULA E O G20

O Presidente Lula, reunido com outros líderes mundiais discute a importância do G-20, ou seja, as 20 nações mais desenvolvidas que precisam definir os rumos para a economia e a sustentabilidade do planeta. Para o Presidente Lula, o G-20 deveria substituir o G-8 no qual apenas as 8 nações mais ricas fazem parte. No encontro, Lula aproveita para reforçar a importância do apoio aos países mais pobres nos tempos de crise e recorda sua trajetória pessoal desde quando trabalhava como metalúrgico, relatando as dificuldades que enfrentou até chegar a presidência da república.

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Brazil's President says G-8 no longer relevant

Saturday November 15, 2:39 pm ET By Michael Astor, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Saturday the G-8 is no longer relevant in today's globalized world and that the role of developing international financial regulations must fall to the so-called Group of 20.

"We are talking about the G-20 because the G-8 doesn't have any more reason to exist, in other words, the emerging economies have to be taken into consideration in today's globalized world," Silva said as he left to meet with President George W. Bush and other world leaders to discuss the global financial meltdown.

The G-8 is comprised of the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Russia, while the G-20 is made up of industrialized and developing countries. Together the G-20 countries account for roughly 90 percent of global gross domestic product.

"The existing multilateral organizations and the international rules in place were rejected by history. Both the IMF and the World Bank should open themselves to bigger participation of developing economies," Silva told the leaders gathered at the summit. "This means more of a voice, representation and a vote for developing countries."

Silva added the international community must not reduce aid to poor countries during the crisis and called for the quick conclusion of the Doha round of talks under the World Trade Organization, adding it would "inject confidence into the markets and containing surging protectionist tendencies."

Silva, a former metalworker who rose to become Brazil's first working-class president, has presided over a period of tremendous growth and economic prosperity in Latin America's largest country since taking office in 2003.

He has also fought to get Brazil a greater role in the international stage, trying to gain a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council for his country and taking the lead in organizing developing nations in talks under the World Trade Organization.

On Saturday, he called for fairer regulation of the world economy.

"My whole life when I was a metal worker, for me to buy a TV I had to work another 40 to 60 hours month, nearly killing myself. Today someone can become a billionaire without producing a single piece of paper, a single job, without producing a single salary, for this we need serious regulation of coming from the G-20," Silva said.

He also said the onus of resolving the economic crisis fell to the richer nations.

"The best solution for the crisis not to spread is that rich countries resolve their problems. For the first time the problems aren't in the poor country's they in the rich countries," he said. "It doesn't help to look for palliative measures if you don't resolve chronic problems of the economic policy of America and economic policy of the EU."

Brazil and other Latin American nations have complained that after years of following the policy prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund and other international lending organizations, they are now suffering because many powerful countries did not heed their own advice.

"There was plenty of advice from supposed specialists, to poor, developing countries," Silva said at the summit. "What was lacking was advice for rich countries, about the signs of financial mayhem that had been accumulating over time."

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081115/us_meltdown_summit_silva.html?.v=2&printer=1