We Won’t Rerun US War in Iraq, Says Brazil’s Lula Concerning Bolivia

On Friday, May 5, in a conversation with reporters, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promised that he has no intention of doing anything to Bolivia like what the United States was doing in Iraq.

"There will be no war because I am peaceful. Bolivia is a very poor country. What they need over there is help," declared Lula.

Representatives of various Brazilian social movements backed Lula’s position signing a manifesto expressing solidarity with Bolivian president Evo Morales’ decision to nationalize his country’s petroleum and gas reserves.

This decision, which was announced by Morales last Monday, May 1st, took other countries of the region, including Brazil, by surprise.

The manifesto, entitled "Bolivia Has the Right to Sovereignty over its Wealth!," acknowledges the right of the Bolivian people to control their natural resources.

"Sovereignty is to be respected, not debated," asserts one of the passages of the document, which was endorsed by such organizations as the Land Pastoral Commission (CPT), the Brazilian Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (ABONG), the Institute of Alternative Policies for the Southern Cone (PACS), the Brazilian Network for the Integration of Peoples (REBRIP), and the Rio de Janeiro Association of Petrobras Engineers.

The representatives of the social movements contend that the Bolivian people spent 500 years enduring "the exhaustion of their depletable natural resources by the colonial and imperial powers."

They go on to accuse European countries of having extracted the country’s minerals, financed wars, and promoted local poverty.

"Tin was carted off as a raw material for the industrial products of Europe and the United States. What was left behind were the pits, the poverty, and the oblivion," the text declares.

The manifesto also calls on Brazil to back Morales’ decision. "A half century after Brazil, Bolivia is nationalizing its energy wealth. Why not grant a sister nation the right we claimed to be legitimate for ourselves and which gave rise to our largest State-run enterprise, Petrobras?"

In another passage the document says that Morales’ attitude should be seen as the fulfillment of a promise he made to the nation during the electoral campaign.

"In Brazil the media and a broad band of conservative politicians have jumped on the offensive," comment the activists, for whom demands for the Brazilian government to adopt a hard-line approach against Morales reflect the interests of the big powers.

"What is at stake are the gains of a State-run enterprise, Petrobras, whose shares are currently 60% controlled by private shareholders in the United States, 49% of whom are US citizens and 11%, Brazilian fronts," the manifesto asserts.

The document argues that the Bolivian president paved the way for a fairer negotiating process in which the interests of the Bolivian people will take priority.

"The context is in place for agreements which, perhaps for the first time in the recent history of that country, will benefit both sides without exploiting the side that is economically weaker."

Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil’s Chief of Staff Scolds Inflation-Mongers

The head of the Presidential Civilian Advisory Staff, Minister José Dirceu, criticized some people’s ...

Once World’s Top Rubber Producer, Brazil Imports the Product Today

The Brazilian production of rubber increased 233% in the last 12 years. The internal ...

Brazil Bans YouTube. All to Prevent Hot Video from Being Seen

YouTube has been blocked by Brazil's two largest telephone operators, Brasil Telecom and Telefônica, ...

A Plan to Juice Up Brazil’s Fruit Exports

Brazilian fruit industries want to produce and export more fruit juice. For this reason, ...

Brazil to Become in 10 Years a Big Trendsetter in Latin America

By 2020 Brazil should be even a greater dictator of consumer tastes in Latin ...

Brazil Has Already Exported US$ 94 Bi with US$ 32 Bi Surplus

According to figures  released today, September 18, by Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry and ...

A sugarcane cutter in a Brazilian plantation

Bush’s Concern for Brazilian Ethanol Just Highlights US Hypocrisy

President Bush begins his tour of Latin America this week, hitting Brazil on March ...

Slam-bang Guga

Slam-bang Guga Gustavo Kuerten, who every Brazilian is calling Guga these days, is tennis’ ...

The Case for Federal Intervention in Brasília. Would It Make Any Difference?

On April 21, Brazilian capital Brasília will celebrate its 50th anniversary. A question on ...

No More Rigid Coalitions: Brazilian Congress Ends Party Piggybacking

By a vote count of 329 to 142, Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies approved, Wednesday, ...