France's President, Nicolas Sarkozy, in a visit to Brazil, defended this Monday, December 22, a permanent seat for Brazil in the Security Council of the United Nations as well as measures for environmental protection, especially in the Amazon.
"We greatly need president Lula in the Security Council and also need him for preservation of the balance in the environment," he said in an address to French and Brazilian businessmen, in Rio de Janeiro.
The French head of state, who is on a working visit to the city, also defended the end of protectionism, as well as investment in infrastructure and technology to overcome the global financial crisis.
"There is nothing worse than protectionism. If the heads of state do not seek solutions we cannot be satisfied," said Sarkozy. Still according to the French president, the crisis marks the stepping into the 21st century and shows that it is necessary to adopt new global governance mechanisms. "We can no longer apply the rules of the last century," he said.
As an exit to the crisis, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso, who also participated in the meeting, also defended financial market regulation and the end of protectionism.
He spoke to the president-elect of the United States about expectations with regard to the Doha Rounds and about agreements to replace the Kyoto Protocol in 2012, regulating the emission of greenhouse gas.
"We hope that Barack Obama may invest some energy so that, with other partners, we may find a solution to the Doha Rounds on global trade and development," he added.
ABr
