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Brazil's Lula backs Petrobras quote to check out offshore Equatorial Margin

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday threw his weight behind a push by staterun oil company Petrobras to explore the environmentally delicate overseas Equatorial Margin, stating Brazil can not give up such an opportunity.

The overseas area along the northern coast is seen as Brazil's most promising frontier for oil expedition as it shares geology with nearby Guyana, where Exxon Mobil is developing big fields.

When we start exploring the so-called Equatorial Margin, I believe we will make a remarkable leap in quality, Lula told a company forum hosted by the FII Institute in Rio de Janeiro.

We wish to do everything lawfully, appreciating the environment, but we are not going to discard any opportunity to make this nation grow.

Petrobras has actually been pushing for a license to drill in the northern most part of the Equatorial Margin, near the mouth of the Amazon River, where scientists have actually warned of risks to regional coral and seaside biomes.

Brazil's environmental company Ibama rejected a drilling license in the area, mentioning potential influence on the environment and

Native peoples

. Petrobras has been waiting over a year for it to rule on an appeal.

Lula at the occasion also stated Brazil would reduce its financial deficit reduction through increased revenues and lower borrowing expenses, without weakening the capability for public investments.

We are getting our home in order and putting public financial resources in check to guarantee financial balance, the leftist leader said.

(source: Reuters)