“The same that Brazil accepted for itself we accept for Iran,” Lula said in a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin soon after the chancellor talked about losing patience with Tehran over its nuclear program.

Lula also said that the West should show patience with Iran and keep negotiating with the country, the Brazzil Mag said in a report posted on its website.

“The best and the cheapest for all of us is to believe in negotiations and have lots of patience,” said Lula.

“I think that to deal with Iran as if it were an insignificant country, increasing every day the pressure over Iran, might not result in a good thing. As Iran is a country with very strong culture, 80 million inhabitants and very serious domestic problems, we need to increase the patience level in order to increase the conversation level with Iran.”

Lula then recalled that in a span of a few days he “had the luck” of meeting the presidents of Israel, the Palestinian authority and Iran: “I talked a lot with every one of them and I think there’s always a chance for us to find a way for people to agree that peace is much cheaper and much more effective than war.”

Lula also talked about the need to create a climate of trust among world leaders.

“I’ve already talked about this with my dear friend Angela Merkel today, I talked to President Obama in Pittsburgh, I talked to Sarkozy, I talked to Gordon Brown. It is necessary to establish a new kind of conversation to see if we reduce the widespread mistrust level that exists today. We need to create a condition of trust so that we can dream about the negotiation.”

He went on to say, “My position is very clear. My country has something in the constitution – it’s not a government’s decision, it’s something approved by the 1988 Brazilian Constitution in 1988 – that forbids the use of nuclear weapons. And we in Brazil have uranium enrichment to produce electric power. And that’s what we want for Iran. It is the same that Brazil has. The same that Brazil accepted for itself we accept for Iran and I think that only by talking we can reach an agreement to deal with the Middle East.”

The president stressed once again the need for dialogue and understanding.

“I don’t know if I am naïve, I don’t know if I am too optimistic, but I believe a lot, a lot, in peoples’ capacity to convince and dialogue. And we are trying to offer our contribution and I hope the best will happen.”