The upcoming holiday season will be Brazil's best because the economy is growing and the government is taking care of the financial crisis, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday.
Lula made the statement during a year-end lunch at Brazil's Air Force Club in Brasilia. The incumbent president reaffirmed his optimistic attitude concerning the effects of the international financial crisis on the country.
He said that by 2010, the last year of his presidency, the crisis will be part of the past.
Lula also said that he will not allow the country's state-owned oil and gas giant Petrobras' projects to be halted and asked again for Brazilians to consume.
The international financial crisis, said Lula, did not catch Brazil unprepared. The country's diversified commercial relations with other countries helped solidify its economy to deal with the crisis, he said.
"It is not the president saying that, but the experts: Brazil is one of the most prepared countries," said Lula.