Brasília – Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended this Tuesday (22) all members of BRICS – a group currently formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – become permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations (UN). Currently, only Russia and China are. “We need to convince Russia and China that Brazil, South Africa, and India can join the Security Council.”
In Johannesburg, South Africa, for the BRICS Summit (pictured above, the landing), Lula also defended the entry of new members into the bloc. “This is a debate we will have. Also, to allow the entry of new countries, we have to limit [the discussion] to some subject everyone agrees on. If there is no commitment from the countries joining the BRICS, it could become a Tower of Babel. We are building this. From this meeting here, I think something very important could emerge about the entry of new countries. I am in favor of the entry of several countries. We would become strong.”
In his weekly interview show, Lula spoke of the development of a bank to act differently from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “We want to create a robust bank, one bigger than the IMF, but with different criteria for lending money to countries. Not suffocating, but lending with the perspective the country will create conditions to invest the money, develop and pay, without the payment hampering the country’s finances.”
The president also defended the creation of a common currency for commercial transactions between the countries participating in BRICS and Mercosur, replacing the US dollar. For him, this can be done without depreciating their own currencies. “Countries like Argentina cannot buy dollars now. To sell to Brazil, you shouldn’t need dollars,” he said when commenting on the crisis in Argentina, which also intends to join BRICS.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
