Brazil likely to lower interest rates

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 15 (Chinese media) -- Brazil may lower its interest rates in

a bid to fight the international financial crisis, President Luiz Inacio Lula da

Silva said Monday.

"Sometimes, a worker is afraid of buying a car, a fridge, a stove or a TV

set because he does not want to get into more debt. The price of those products

is going to get lower," he said.

In his weekly radio program, Lula talked about his meeting with businessmen

last week, saying it was "the most important business meeting he had ever taken

part in" and that the industrial sector was ready to help the country face the

instability brought by the crisis.

Lula added that he asked the businessmen not to dismiss staff and that he

also committed to talking to the trade unions about the possibility of making

deals in several sectors.

The president expressed confidence that Brazil would emerge victorious from

the crisis. According to him, there was still a shortage of credit in the

country, but the government had taken new measures to correct that.

Brazilians could and needed to consume, because the country's economy must

be kept running in order to maintain industrial production and guarantee job

security, he said.