BRASILIA, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday said he couldn't predict when the U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran might end, but vowed to shield Brazilians from the economic impact of the conflict.
In an interview with local television station Record Bahia, Lula da Silva stressed the uncertainty surrounding the duration of the conflict.
"The war goes on, ... The concrete fact I can offer is that we are making every possible effort to prevent the irresponsible war on Iran from affecting people's pocketbooks," Lula da Silva said.
"We will not allow the international price increase to impact the truck driver's pocket, to impact the people, the housewife's pocketbook. That is why we are taking many measures. We have a very serious oversight process underway in Brazil," he added.
The president warned against speculation in the domestic fuel market and announced tighter controls to prevent price gouging, saying security forces are involved in monitoring efforts to detect potential irregularities in the distribution chain.
According to him, his government has also taken tax exemption and subsidy measures to contain fuel price increases on the domestic market. ■
